I Do
by BrokePerception
Summary: Set after 3.07 Thirteen. Clarke and Lexa only left the Commander's chamber together, in this. Lexa believes there's a way for them to overcome the mess they are in. Clarke doubts if it can be that simple, and maybe she's right.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

"I don't believe I'll ever get their acceptance, Lexa, nor do I believe they'll ever see the Sky People as a thirteenth clan or treat them like it. I am afraid that we've failed," Clarke whispered into the morning, its first sunny rays falling upon her pale face through the windows. She had not been able to stay in bed much longer at the thought that she had to leave Lexa, her lover, in Polis as she got back to Arkadia to face Pike and try to resolve the mess he had created there, to make work what she doubted anyone ever could. If it had not been for Charles Pike. If people had tried to see how good this was for them.

The Commander watched her with dark and hooded eyes, with her face set in a firm way that did not hint at the turmoil she felt raging deep inside her as she saw the blonde walk back and forth, hands clamped on the sheet she had, undoubtedly, taken with her when she got up to cover her nudity. She didn't look at the dark-haired girl left in the bed. The Commander doubted she even knew she was awake, by the way she seemed to murmur for her own sake. Lexa couldn't help but feel the need to get up and hold Clarke tightly, reassure her, tell her it would all be okay... but she couldn't. She knew her people, and she knew the way they held onto their ways. She knew the only way for them to show Clarke and the Sky People acceptance, lay within their ways and nowhere else. That's why she had issues the kill order for who stepped from the five-mile radius they had set. She had to have a way to enforce. If she trusted her own knowledge of Clarke as a person, she knew that the blonde was aware that that was the only possibility now. It didn't help the way she had felt upon the hurt look in Clarke's eyes, even if she had understood the reason why.

Frequently, the older of both girls had thought of ways to help their case, to prove to her people that Clarke was and had to be trusted, but not a single one of those potential solutions had made any sense or been remotely possible. In fact, the one that made any sense had been thrown at her in anger by Titus, as a way to mock her, to belittle her feelings for Clarke as opposed to how immense her duties as the Commander of the Twelve Clans were. She felt that he had overstepped his bounds, but at the time, she had just been too shocked to speak of it, and he had known that she would be, she assumed. Titus had played with the bounds of his position in many ways, since Clarke and her people had come down from the sky. She hadn't paid a lot of heed to his 'suggestion', had known that it would be ridiculous to try to go for that option, but now, as she saw Clarke pace before the open window of her room in the Commander's Tower, the sunlight upon her face, the skin she knew from experience to be so soft ── the skin she longed to touch once more, if possible maybe for the rest of her life on earth ── it suddenly didn't seem all that far-fetched anymore. That was ridiculous on its own, of course.

"There is a way that we can force my people's acceptance, of you if not of your people," Lexa spoke, and she saw Clarke jump slightly and turn back to her ── the blonde hadn't thought that she was awake.

When she had recovered a bit from being startled like she had been, confusion creased Clarke's forehead. She didn't know what Lexa meant. "I'm not sure I follow, Lexa. I believe the best chance we have is for me to go to Arkadia, and that barely forces acceptance from them," she said. "Instead, I'm in danger if I stay here."

As she held the dark sheet that covered her nude figure firmly in place with one hand, the Commander pushed her body up with the other in a slightly more seated position. She felt her resolve grew as her bare feet landed on the cold floor and she rose, making way to Clarke, the blonde's blue eyes upon her, filled with a wonder that really endeared Lexa as she made notice of it. She couldn't say that she had ever felt the intense need to keep a lover close before in her entire life ── after all, it wasn't in a Commander's nature to need. Costia and she had managed to be separated for days on end if they had to without much of an issue from either side. If any, they had come from Costia only. Clarke, however, was different. If she could, she would be with her every waking moment, maybe even every non-waking one, without getting tired or bored from it. She was an inspirational woman, to her if not to her people. She wished they could see what she saw at the moment, but maybe not. She didn't share easily ── not when she had been younger and definitely not now, not with Clarke Griffin. It was strange maybe, but despite the fact that Clarke's mere existence challenged Lexa as a Commander and the choices that accompanied her position, it was with Clarke, the girl who had fallen from the sky, that she felt like the person she was underneath the persona of Commander most.

Lexa's steps ── usually sure, measured and firm ── were as light as a feather as she padded over to where Clarke stood. The peace she felt after the night before, her night with Clarke, had settled in the depths of her soul and seemed to reveal themselves even in the way she moved. It had been the first night in forever that she had not woken to darkness, both mentally and physically. She came to a halt at Clarke's feet, and her lips couldn't help but turn up in a soft smile as she let her green eyes slide over Clarke's appearance and saw her as she was in the morning after having shared the bed with her, in a way that she had dreamed of for so long now.

The blonde's hair was static and wild and seemed to catch the light better than ever, as if spun with gold somehow. Her blue eyes seemed brighter, too. She felt her breath catch, felt herself fall deeper, harder, faster. She was so beautiful to her in that moment.

A deep sigh left the Commander's lips, the spell broken by the confusion that still resided in Clarke's expression. She noticed the same deep love she felt for her, the same love she had felt from her the night before, too, though, in the deep blue depths. "I wouldn't say that my people are religious," Lexa began, "However, we do believe in certain things as 'holy' and 'untouchable'. Marriage is one of those. My people believe it is a unity that can't be broken, a proof from two people to the world that they will be together forever as one. It holds a promise and a certainty. It can't be broken, only by death."

The Commander paused then, to let the words she had spoken sink in in the blonde's brain.

"Once two people pledge their loyalty to one another before the rest of the world, the unity between them deserves to be respected, and mostly is, even when the two who got married come from opposed families," Lexa continued. "In some circles it is strongly believed that Commanders shouldn't be married, for their heart should be with the people as a whole and not with one of them only. Titus, for instance, believes this as well. A Commander shouldn't be _distracted_ from their duty by feelings, he says. One of our Commanders was married at the time her predecessor's spirit chose her to be the next. One other married while these rooms belonged to her already. It didn't stop either from being good, valuable Commanders. Despite critique, even people who oppose Commander's marriage recognize this."

Clarke's eyes widened. "You are..." she began. Lexa's words had created a lot of clarity where previously there had only been confusion. She had not at all thought that the conversation would go down this road when Lexa had implied a way to resolve this mess.

"If we were to marry... My people would have to see you as my equal. They would have to respect you and protect you like they do me," Lexa stated, as she took a hold of Clarke's hand and captured blue eyes with green ones. The reality of it hit her hard. This was the solution for the situation they had gotten into together. The only way through was together as well, it seemed.

Clarke's mind spun. Lexa's words made a lot of sense, of course, but it seemed too simple to her as well, and she couldn't shake that off. "What makes you believe they'll have respect towards you or me if we were to go for that option?" she wondered. "They've tried to have your head already, Lexa, if only for not opting for revenge yesterday. I can't imagine what they will do to you if you tell your people you plan to marry me and step into this unity ── which is quite a huge deal to your people, if I got it right ── only for my protection, for my acceptance."

Lexa's face hardened as Clarke's words hit. She looked very hurt for all but a heart beat before she re-built the walls she had let down for Clarke before sunrise. Lexa's quiescence lasted for several seconds before she spoke. Clarke had been a bit shocked at the Commander's demeanor, and she hadn't dared to break the silence either. "It wouldn't only be for your protection," the dark-haired girl said in a clipped tone. "If I was not the Commander and if we weren't in this situation, I would ask you to be with me for the rest of your life still, and it would have been easy, with no misgivings from _anyone_ ── which I'm surprised includes you ── about intention."

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Author's Note: Please review. I'm on Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr as well, by the way ── feel free to hop on and have a look and follow me; I'm BrokePerception on all three!


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Clarke's mouth opened. She wanted to tell the woman she loved that she didn't mean it that way, wanted to tell her whatever the Commander needed telling to ease the pain she saw in her green eyes, to soften the words she spoke. Lexa's voice was a bit harsh now compared to the soft whisper that it had been the night before and earlier that morning, when they had lain there in Lexa's bed together, before she had brought up the idea of marriage. She didn't know what she could say to fix this, though. She didn't know what to say at that point ── period. Clarke Griffin's mind swam with questions and uncertainties, and she was incredibly overwhelmed, to put it mildly.

Clarke _liked_ Lexa, and she liked her in that way. After all, it was tough not to like her. The Commander was a very impressive woman, who had somehow touched Clarke in a way that no one else ever had ── literally as well as figuratively at that ── and she was gorgeous, with a strong mind and a beautiful soul. It was safe to say Lexa captivated her, and she had pulled her in truly and entirely. The blonde hadn't thought to define what they had with a specific term like 'relationship' yet, though. She hadn't felt the need to. Truthfully, she hadn't thought about Lexa and herself with any regards to the future yet. She hadn't thought of a 'future' since that day that she had landed on earth at all. All that she had thought of so far when it concerned Lexa and she was that she enjoyed whatever it really was, that she enjoyed the time she got with Lexa, and that she wished for more of these moments together with her, for more time together with her. She hadn't clearly defined it in her head yet, though, how that could work for them, with her being the Commander of the Twelve Clans and her a supposed Ambassador for one of the Clans she ruled over.

You could tell by the look in Lexa's eyes and in the way her features had clearly hardened since Clarke had spoken that she had put on her Commander persona again, and that she had hidden her true self underneath the heavy veil of her title again. Only the Commander would be able to look impressive still with only a thin sheet to cover most of her bare body. Clarke's eyes wandered over Lexa's features. She held her breath as she reached for her and warm fingertips ran over her cheekbones. Despite the look in her green eyes, Lexa let her. That gave Clarke a small shred of relief already. "I'm sorry," she whispered, "I didn't mean to imply that you just don't care. I'm a bit overwhelmed."

If she had doubted before that moment, she definitely knew how much Lexa cared now, if only from the way the Commander had reacted. Memories of the night before and of that morning began to fill her mind, of how careful and how apprehensive she had been. The Grounder Commander was not the sort of person who let everyone in her bed or let down her guard for them that easily. The way Lexa had looked at her when they both realized where Clarke's 'goodbye visit' would very likely lead to had spoken volumes.

Lexa swallowed the anxiousness that had begun to rise within her at the thought that Clarke didn't believe her feelings to be true and that maybe she had misinterpreted all of it, and the brunette simply nodded once before she turned and walked back to the bed. She sat down upon the very edge gracefully before she lifted her legs up and brought her body in a lotus position, green eyes bouncing upwards when this was followed by looking at Clarke expectantly. The blonde saw this as a cue to move to the bed as well, unconsciously imitating Lexa's position.

Clarke and Lexa sat and stared at each other for a long moment before Clarke took the leap.

"I don't know how marriage works in your tradition," she stated. She figured that the only way to create any clarity at all in the mess in her full head was to get a few basic facts straight first.

Lexa's green eyes trailed over Clarke briefly in silence, before she spoke. "Typically, the two people who have decided to marry announce the news to those who are close to them or are otherwise directly involved within a fortnight of the ritual," she began. "With more common people, it just means that both families get informed. As the Commander of the Twelve Clans, I have the duty to inform the entirety of my people and ensure that they recognize the marriage for what it is. It starts with informing my subjects and then all of the Ambassadors, who will ensure that it is known in their respective circles."

Lexa paused. Clarke nodded; she understood that part. "Okay," she said. "So no more than two weeks pass between the day the marriage gets announced and it actually taking place?"

The Commander confirmed with a nod only, and as she did, Clarke noted that her features had become a bit softer again as she explained the way of her people ── one of many. Clarke's own nod told the Commander that she was still following. Green eyes briefly dropped, and Lexa gently reached for one of Clarke's feminine hands resting loosely upon crossed ankles. When she looked back up, a small smile had tinged Clarke's face. She unconsciously returned the gesture, and there was no sign of the hard lines that had made her look her fierce self before anymore. Then she took a deep breath, though, and regained seriousness and composure. Clarke felt her hand being squeezed briefly, before the Commander's voice filled the room once more. "For two people to be seen as really married, they follow a ritual that includes a mixing of blood… as well as consummation before those directly affected by the bond and in need of confirmation of its truthfulness. For me, that means the entirety of my people."

"Oh," Clarke voiced, and Lexa could see how shock overcame her lover's face. The brunette had expected for this to happen already. After all, she couldn't exactly blame her either. If she was honest, she wasn't fond of the idea herself, but it was the way of her people, and if she truly wanted for them to show acceptance for them as a couple, it had to be that way. "I…" Clarke began, and she lingered on that syllable for several seconds before she could find words once more. "You mean to tell me that we have to make love before your people, in public? Is there no concept of public indecency with you?"

Lexa blinked ── the only sign of Heda's confusion. _Public indecency?_ "I do not know what these words mean, but yes, I for marriage between us both to be truly recognized, we would have to show my people that what we have is real and that we are not afraid to show the intimacy of it to them."

Silence fell between them then as the blonde let the Commander's words sink in, and Lexa allowed for her to do so. It was not a small sacrifice, she knew. Their silence lasted for several moments, until Lexa's doubts won. She shouldn't have asked. She shouldn't have brought it all up. "You have a right to say no, Clarke, and to go back to Arkadia instead, to try and solve things your way," she spoke, and her usually already accented tones seemed to stress the 'k' in the blonde's name a bit. "It definitely is no small decision that is upon you, but if you're not ready for this, whether because you're uncomfortable with the way of my people or other reasons, please tell me, and we will forget I ever even suggested it."

Despite her words, Lexa knew that she wouldn't forget this moment for the rest of her life, no matter how it would go down, and act like it had never happened. Whatever the blonde's answer, she knew that things between Clarke and herself would never be the same from then onwards. There were two ways this could go down, and either of those two would take them on a path away from where they were. One was solely meant for them to follow together. The other, she couldn't tell yet. It had to be seen. In that moment, the fierce Commander felt like such a complete fool for what she had brought upon Clarke, and she began to see where Titus' mockery had come from.

Clarke's first response was non-verbal. She shook her head. That was not it, she thought. When did you know you were ready to marry, though? "I don't... I just can't get over the idea of..." she began. "I don't know how I could ever even begin to feel comfortable at the thought that your people would watch us when we share such intimacy, even if I am certain that that is the point."

Lexa nodded nearly imperceptibly. "Unfortunately, it is. I'm not fond of it either," she admitted. It wouldn't do to make Clarke feel alone. Maybe it would help her with her own discomfort.

Clarke sighed. Clarke captured green eyes with her own bright blue ones, and she squeezed Lexa's hand in hers. A small smile came upon her lips as she saw the way Lexa's lips were parted in expectancy, however slightly. "I guess it starts with being incredibly comfortable with each other, and I am with you," she spoke. "I love you... and I will marry you, Lexa kom Trikru. We'll cross that bridge when we get to it and hope it is worth it." Despite her words, she knew that she wouldn't be able to let go of it that easily, deep inside, and that she would mull it over in her mind until the day they got married to one another.

Despite Clarke's efforts to act all casual about the consummation part, Lexa knew, she saw, that that was very far from the nervousness she really felt, mainly because she felt it as well. That was not the only reason for Lexa's uncertain expression, though. Clarke could tell that the Commander had more on her mind still, as she noted the way the brunette's forehead creased. She gently nudged Lexa's knee with her own. The Commander answered the unspoken question. "My people do not believe in ending marriage. We see it as forever."

"I know," Clarke spoke, her words accompanied with a seriousness that reassured Lexa that she knew what she was getting into. A part of the Commander wondered still if she did, though, but it was small enough that she could put it down beside her. After all, if they were to truly go through with this, she and Clarke needed to believe in one another.

They held each other's gaze just a moment longer, until Lexa blinked away. She briefly let her eyes slide to the side of the bed before she leaned over the edge of the double bed to retrieve her top, since Clarke had left it there the night before. The Commander raised a brow at the Sky Girl. "If you're really certain, I reckon that we should try to make ourselves look presentable to the world on the other side of my bedroom door before we inform Titus and ask him to call the Ambassadors together."

"He'll be thrilled."

"I'm certain."

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Author's Note: Please review. I'm on Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr as well, by the way ── feel free to hop on and have a look and follow me; I'm BrokePerception on all three!


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Clarke Griffin blinked up at the woman she loved, who sat on her tall throne as comfortably as possible as they calmly −− or not so calmly in Clarke's case −− waited for all the Ambassadors to arrive for the meeting that had been called together by Titus. As soon as all of them had arrived, Lexa would inform them that she would marry one of the Sky People within the next two weeks. The blonde had a bad feeling about it, felt that them being engaged −− if she could call it that −− was just not going to sit well with most of the Ambassadors at all. She very much feared for Lexa's life like she had when the Commander announced that 'blood must not have blood', and when she told them that the Sky People would become a thirteenth clan to the coalition. If Titus' harsh reaction was any indication of the way the Ambassadors would deal with the news, they hadn't seen the last of this yet.

.

 _The Commander seemed perfectly calm, hands folded over her lower back neatly as she watched her subject come to a halt before them, after having called his name in summon as soon as Clarke and she had left her bedroom. Lexa didn't speak immediately, and Titus looked up at them and awaited the Commander's next requests. The blonde's eyes shifted between them uneasily. She doubted that he would still be as docile when he heard their news._

 _"I need for you to call all Ambassadors together, as soon as remotely possible, for a meeting that I hope to have take place in exactly an hour," Lexa stated. "It is imperative that they're informed of Clarke and mine's decision to marry. You're entrusted with the task to spread the word to all of my other subjects efficiently but discreetly."_

 _For a long moment, Titus stared at the Commander quite shocked, as if he couldn't believe the words coming from Lexa's mouth. The Flamekeeper eyed her as if she had lost it. "Heda!" he exclaimed._

 _She held her hand up to shush him at once, completely expecting Titus' response. When she spoke next, her English was clipped and as clear-cut as ever. "I will not hear any doubt from you in regards to the decision we have made, not before Clarke and not at any other given moment. It is your task to put your confidence in me and not defy me as my Flamekeeper. Is that clear?"_

 _His face grew a darker shade, his lips pressed together, and Titus' expression did not seem to go with the nod that he gave her after a long, quiet moment. The fact that she had requested for him to simply shut up seemed to nearly be killing him, bringing him to the point of near-suffocation. Clarke fully expected for him to ignore her request and to still be vocal about his disagreements with her… and she didn't know half of it yet at that stage. Little did she know that it had been Titus who had brought the idea of marriage up with the Commander. Little did she know of the real rage within the Flamekeeper's body as his Commander spoke of marriage to her._

 _He did not speak after all._

 _With a nod from the brunette, Titus turned on his heel and stormed off to do as she had requested._

 _._

She saw the Commander's nod towards the guards by the doors in her throne room from the corner of her blue eyes and wondered briefly if there had even been a knock, or if the Commander's perceptiveness had not required so for whoever wanted to enter. It wouldn't be the first time she had seen Lexa easily become aware of someone's (near) presence before they could even announce it. When her head shot back up, she recognized the Flamekeeper's bald, tattoo-ed skull.

Titus, instead, respectfully bowed his head as he halted a safe distance from the Commander's throne. "The Ambassadors have arrived, Heda," he announced.

The Commander held up her hand and made a gesture towards the guards, before she addressed her Flamekeeper verbally, "Allow them in then."

With a nod, he confirmed that he had heard Lexa, and Clarke felt herself swallow, quite nervously, as Titus turned on his heel and strode from the room without another word to do as Lexa had asked. She hadn't felt this nervous ever since their dropship had landed on planet Earth and they had to discover the new world they had only heard of and read stories about −− not even when she saw the Commander fight Roan. Fact was that she knew Lexa and trusted her with her life after all that they had been true, and after Lexa had sat there before her, on her knees, and taken that moment to swear fealty… to Clarke. Despite her fear, she had somehow trusted Lexa's abilities as a Commander and warrior. She didn't know the Ambassadors like she knew Lexa, though. She didn't know any of their intentions or of their thoughts and wouldn't put her life in their hands at all.

Looking down into her lap, she let her fingers slide over the soft fabric of the dress she had worn the day the Sky People had become part of the coalition. Clarke's hair had been braided then in all sorts of complicated patterns by one of Lexa's servants, and she had taken two hours to properly complete them. This time, Clarke's long blonde hair was in a loose braid over one shoulder in a similar way as Lexa's dark hair was, and as she glanced up fleetingly, at the Commander, she wondered if the slightly altered style was a purposeful change, specific for the news they had to tell. Clarke Griffin figured it had to be. The Commander's life held little coincidence, she knew.

Footsteps in the long hallway that lead immediately to the Commander's throne room quickly brought Clarke from her reverie, and she ripped her eyes away from the brunette beside her and refocused them on the entrance. She swallowed the lump that began to form in her throat unwillingly as she watched familiar faces filter into the room: those of the Ambassadors of the Twelve Clans. She felt her nerves grow as she noted the expressions upon their faces when they entered the room, and how those expressions seemed to change just a bit and the lines in their faces hardened visibly as their eyes fell upon the Commander in her tall throne and Clarke beside her and they took in both of their appearances before they took place as they were used to at another hand gesture of Lexa's.

Once all of the Ambassadors had taken their places, Titus brought up the rear and made for his designated spot beside Lexa's throne with a bowed head in a way that seemed to just reek of his disapproval, anger at his Heda's choices. The men at the entrance pushed the doors closed so that the meeting could happen. Several seconds passed in which the blonde let her eyes slide over the Ambassadors and Lexa didn't speak, doing the exact same. At last, the Commander pushed off of her seat and came to her feet, quietly but gracefully extending her hand at waist-height, coaxing Clarke to do the same.

Clarke hesitated for a long moment before she complied, unsure if she understood well, not wanting to make anything more complicated than it was, before she followed Lexa's example and, getting to her feet, slid her slightly sweaty hand in a softer feminine one, which tightened on hers nearly immediately. This action brought about sounds of gasps and perplexed faces, but another 'Commander gesture' silenced the hushed tones and exclamations that would have certainly followed before they could even originate. Temporarily, Clarke wondered if Lexa had seen this from other Commanders before her or if it was uniquely her. She was a woman of few words, after all.

"I have requested this specific meeting to announce to you all that Clarke Kom Skaikru and I have agreed to marry. The ritual will take place within a fortnight from now, as our ways ask for," she spoke in a low, regal way, regarding the Ambassadors carefully.

It stayed quite quiet for a long moment, before the bomb burst and an exceptionally tall, bearded man with a dark look about him spoke up, as Clarke and undoubtedly Lexa as well had already expected. "The last time that you called us to you for a meeting to make _her_ Ambassador of the Sky People and her people the Thirteen Clan, they rejected the new coalition that we, however reluctantly, agreed to already. Now you plan to take it one step further?"

The man on his right, similar in stature but unknown to Clarke, cut in and took a step closer, that made, so Clarke noted from her peripheral vision, Lexa's guards grip their respective swords slightly tighter, "At least now we know that you're blinded by love and lust, just like you were with Costia. One would believe that you had learned from it now, but you let your weakness speak much more than your damned duty as a Commander and put a _woman_ before your people."

Without having to look at her, she felt Lexa's anger at the man's words, if only in the way she gripped Clarke's hand tighter. When she eyed her, she saw how Lexa's green eyes had flared with an anger that she had never seen before, her jaw set like concrete. Costia was a sore subject, she knew, even if Lexa had barely spoken of her but only of her death, not of what they had been or how much she had truly meant to her. In that moment, she briefly felt the need to let Lexa do to him what she knew she furiously wanted to do, but Clarke also knew that the brunette would later regret defying 'blood must not have blood'.

She rediscovered her strength and her voice then, no sign of nerves or any of it left before the Ambassadors. It tickled Clarke her in a negative way to hear anyone speak of what they had as if it was meaningless and nothing, although she hadn't defined it for herself yet in her own mind. "You're mistaken that way. Your Commander will always put her people before anything −− or anyone −− else, at any given moment, and I wouldn't want it any other way."

As Clarke looked from the Ambassador that she had, in particular, addressed to her right, to her wife-to-be, Lexa regarded her with eyes in which Clarke recognized the sort of feelings she had that morning when they had lain there in bed together, the anger that had been there not too long ago suddenly gone. They held each other's gaze for a long moment before Lexa ripped hers away to speak to the people she had summoned. Lexa's words still were more clipped than usual as she did, though. "Clarke is not in the way of my Commandership in any way, and it saddens me you seem to put so little belief in me. I always have done everything for my people and for their 'greater good'. I believe that Clarke is the one person who can, and will, keep me grounded as I continue to do so."

Clarke's heart filled with love as she listened to the words of Lexa to her people, and she saw it for what it was. For Lexa, this was as public an expression of pure love as could come from someone in her position with her personality. In that moment, she didn't remember ever having felt more, or deeper, feelings for Lexa, whose hand she held before her people. She had never held anyone's hand like that, and now that she was, she was glad that it was Lexa's.

"I hear your doubts and worries regarding the coalition and shall only remain with what I said. We'll ensure the Sky People do not tread on the rest of the land we have taken as ours until the situation is under control," Lexa said, and before anyone could speak up again, she nodded her head towards the guards by the door. "Let this news be known among your people," she said before she sat down again, still holding Clarke's hand in hers. They took the hint.

The way the tall man who had belittled her feelings and had spoken of Costia looked back at the brunette briefly. He seemed to know that he was lucky, that his harsh words hadn't resulted in him never leaving the room again, as well as be very aware that Lexa would get to him anyway later.

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Author's Note: Please review. I'm on Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr as well, by the way ── feel free to hop on and have a look and follow me; I'm BrokePerception on all three!


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

While the Commander continued her daily personal trainings with her Nightblood protégées in the next two days after their meeting with the Ambassadors and handled a few other things that were part of her Commander duties, Clarke often liked to just watch her as Lexa fulfilled her tasks with such an ease and grace that she couldn't help but smile at her secretly every time she looked up at her from her sketchbook. She filled her days with a sketchbook in hand, to draw the scenery that she had wanted to put down on paper ever since she first laid eyes upon the beautiful capital that Polis was, having entered it with a dirty sac over her head. Sometimes, she made small and quick sketches of the woman she would marry when she thought no one noticed.

Marriage had not been brought up between Lexa and her again after their meeting with the Ambassadors, and they had both continued to sleep in their respective, previously designated, rooms. Contiguous or not, Clarke had to admit that this bothered her a bit, after the night they had shared days prior. It did bother Clarke that Lexa had released her hand all but a few moments after the Ambassadors had left the throne room and she had announced that she expected the Nightbloods for their lesson and that Clarke was free to fill her day to her own desire. It did bother Clarke that they had eaten together with no indication at all that things had changed, and how their days had looked very much the same as they had ever since Roan had brought her to Polis and before Lexa had suggested the marriage that was supposed to happen in a week and a half. Especially since Grounder tradition required that it had to happen within only a fortnight,

she felt a need to talk to Lexa about it, to run through what exactly the marriage would entail, for the both of them and for the people they represented. Clarke Griffin tried not to linger on the fact that she felt these things far more strongly since she had really started to consider what they had.

She was no closer now to putting a name on it than she had before Lexa and she had made the decision they had, but she did know that whatever she felt for Lexa was as deep and unwavering and unique as it could get ── something that she had never felt for any other person before in the world, and something that she wanted to keep close forever and never wanted to let go of if she could ever help it.

Clarke's pencil stilled upon the paper, and her gaze trailed to Lexa and Aden in the yard, before her nose. Aden was getting stronger and more agile each day, she noted, with every fight. One day, he might be a good Heda. The blonde hoped with all her heart that said day was still far in coming, though, as her eyes fell upon the lithe way in which Lexa moved. The Commander ducked easily, then charged, then jumped back and made a wide arc with the pole in her hand when she attacked with more grace than Clarke had ever seen, and a small smile came upon the blonde's face. When she felt how her smile began to gently lift the corners of thin lips, though, she felt guilt overcome her as well. While she was all safe beside the Commander in Polis and had a chance to enjoy her days the way she pleased, the rest of the Sky People cowered under Pike's rein or fought for a cause that they had all been brainwashed to back but didn't truly understand. She thought of how Raven and Bellamy and Octavia and Jasper and Monty and the rest of her friends fared while still in Arkadia, and she thought of her mom ── she doubted they had the luxury she had gotten used to now.

She blinked, and she made to pick up her pencil again when she noted the Commander's Flamekeeper approach with long and seemingly hurried strides. Something in the way he moved and acted caught her attention, and the blonde pushed off of the tall tree that she had been leaning against, gathering her sketch book and pencil and walking slowly over to Lexa as she watched Titus call for her and the latter stop in her tracks at once to look at her subject with a curious but serious expression.

"Heda," he began in a low, hoarse tone, "Indra has returned with a few of the Sky People. It is imperative that you meet with them, as soon as possible."

A flicker to the blonde and a nod in return made the understanding pass that Clarke had heard what Titus had said and that she was coming. Dedicated to her novitiates no matter what happened, the Commander looked back over her shoulder at Aden. "You make good progress, Aden. We will continue this lesson later tonight, I promise," she stated before she nodded her goodbye to him and set off in the direction Titus had come from before, fighting pole still in hand.

The Commander wasn't running at all, but Clarke had to to keep up with her long, measured strides, and the way Clarke heard Titus pant on her heels, convinced her that she wasn't the only one who had to, despite his far longer legs. Clarke barely looked at where they were going as she followed Lexa back towards the tall building that was the Commander's Tower, through doors and hallways that brought them to the antechamber. Lexa's mouth opened to bark a question at Titus about where they were when her eyes fell upon the four people the Flamekeeper had mentioned all but two seconds before Clarke's did. Indra and Octavia hadn't bothered to sit down, she noted, but Marcus Kane and Sinclair were seated. Octavia's pacing halted as soon as she heard their footsteps. The first Clarke noted was that Abby wasn't there, and that brought a sinking feeling to her stomach she couldn't put in words. It just didn't sit right with her.

As Clarke and Lexa, with Titus, came to a halt, Marcus rose from his chair in respectful address while Sinclair stayed put, his face ashen, and Indra took one step closer. "Heda," she began, but Octavia interrupted her by moving past her and, uncharacteristically, falling into Clarke's rather unexpected embrace. The blonde was quite surprised given the way they had last parted, but she truly thought that she heard a sharper intake of breath from the Blake sister that seemed a lot like a whimper or sob. That, by itself, really alarmed her, and she couldn't help but wrap her arms about Octavia's shaky frame as the brunette held on for dear life.

"Lincoln's gone," it sounded, mostly muffled by the blonde's right shoulder, and Clarke immediately stiffened, looking over the other girl's shoulder at Indra, then at Kane, for some sort of explanation ── or, even better, any sort of rejection of the horrible, unbelievable information Octavia had relayed. She couldn't discern any hope in either of their eyes then, though, and that was answer enough already.

"It is true, Heda," Indra spoke, and Clarke saw how she tilted her head up slightly as sign of a deep, internal battle that she was doing her best to stay on top of, "He was executed with Chancellor Pike's own weapon, before everyone. _Linkon kom Trikru gonplei ste odon_."

At the words said in Trigedasleng, Octavia parted from Clarke's embrace and looked at her with tears in her eyes, nodding to confirm one more time that that alone was the truth, that she truly had lost him, before the brunette stepped back and let the rest of the conversation unfold, so that they could try to come to a solution with Clarke and the Commander.

Marcus, too, confirmed the news, and he addressed Clarke in particular, while Indra had appeared to address her words to Lexa in particular. "I'm afraid Octavia is right. Pike demanded for him to be executed because he saw Lincoln's attempts to save his people as a betrayal of the Sky People," he spoke, and Clarke saw the way Lexa visibly swallowed ── she had told him that he was no longer welcome in her coalition or part of her people, and yet the warrior had defended Lexa's people until the very end, "If we don't take away the power he has over the Sky People and remove the reins he has put on them, this will only end with more dead bodies, of both the Grounder side as our own, because he won't stop unless he's made to do so."

Clarke and Lexa's gazes met as they both processed the information they had been given. As she chewed on her bottom lip, Clarke Griffin's first instinct right then was to get on a fast horse and get to Arkadia as soon as possible, as she had said she would, before... She sighed. Then she thought of why she had decided to stay and doubted that with the decision that she and Lexa had made, she would be allowed to go. Somehow, somewhere, she knew by the look in Lexa's eyes and a small nod that seemed to only be for her that she was free to speak and the Commander wanted to know her thoughts regarding the situation.

"I need to go back to Arkadia before more people die unnecessarily," she spoke, regarding the Commander with bright blue eyes, waiting for some sort of comment, or at least a confirmation that Lexa had heard and understood.

After a long moment of consideration on Lexa's part, Lexa nodded. "I'll accompany you," she spoke and shushed Clarke with a hard look to stop the words that had threatened to spill from her the very second she had realized what Lexa intended, even before Lexa had fallen silent ── words of disagreements. She raised one eyebrow in warning subtly and waited a moment before she continued, "I _can_ not and _will_ not let you go on your own, Clarke. We will marry before my people within two days to comply with the Grounder ways. We'll go back to Arkadia as one and will be recognized as such as we do."

Despite Lexa's words not being voiced questioningly, Clarke knew that there was an opening for her to agree or disagree with it. Admittedly, she did feel very overwhelmed then at the idea of their marriage happening so impossibly soon. Maybe Lexa did as well, she considered. If she did, though, she didn't show it, but Clarke knew that it didn't have to mean anything, for before other people, Lexa's composure could well be a show. Clarke had been a bit overwhelmed when she heard they would marry within a fortnight already... There was no time to be overwhelmed, though, was there?

Clarke Griffin nodded only once.

Pike's tyranny had to be brought to an end as soon as possible, she knew, for no one in Arkadia would live fearless or in peace with him left in charge there. The forty-eight hour time frame without intervention allowed him a chance to come to his right senses, though Clarke seriously doubted that that was even a viable option. Either way, it was not long enough for him to make any really drastic decisions, like Lincoln's execution had undoubtedly been... or so Clarke hoped. With Charles Pike as the Chancellor, you never knew what you were in for.

When the Commander and the princess finally ripped their gazes away from one another, they were met with three types of reactions to the news their four unexpected guests had just, nearly accidentally, received. Indra seemed quite surprised to hear it, like everyone, but most able to try and compose herself, whereas Octavia appeared more shocked with the news than she was surprised. Anger flared in hazel eyes, and it was as if she couldn't believe Clarke to be so blinded with the Commander's intentions ── which was understandable. Octavia wasn't there the night prior in Lexa's bedroom, wasn't there when Lexa sat on her knees before the blonde and swore fealty to her. When she looked at Lexa, she thought of how the Commander had betrayed them at the Mountain, not of the possibility that she might truly be in love with Clarke. She had only just lost her soul mate on top of it. Marcus Kane, though, appeared most surprised of all of them, eyes wide while he tried to somehow process the words the Commander had spoken and attempted to somehow convince himself that he had heard them correctly.

"Once we're bonded together as one by marriage, through a ritual that has been part of my people's tradition for close to a century, Clarke will have to be met with the same loyalty and respect as I am from my people," Lexa continued. "They'll have a duty that can't be rejected or ignored to always provide the protection she needs."

In that moment, Clarke Griffin fleetingly wished that the dark-haired, green-eyed Commander ── although a fair part of her adored the way Lexa tried that hard to be sure her most intense feelings remained hidden for the public ── spoke to them the way she spoke with Clarke so often and not make it appear like their marriage was just a political decision for both of them. That's when Clarke decided to speak, cutting in, "Lexa and I share the same feelings." She felt that it was of importance to share this bit of information. She tried to word it so that the strong Commander's position wouldn't be compromised. "Polis has made a lot of things clearer to me. At Lexa's side is the only place where I _truly_ want to be. If admitting this to her people can create a little peace, I'm not afraid to do it, and she isn't either."

Clarke's eyes briefly flicked up at the Commander again, but the look in her soon-to-be-wife's eyes wasn't readable at all, and she didn't look back at Clarke either ── she stared at a point in the distance the blonde couldn't determine. Then she watched her turn back to Titus, who stood quietly on Heda's other side. "Inform everyone of the change of plan and make sure it all gets taken care of in time."

* * *

Author's Note: Please review. I'm on Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr as well, by the way ── feel free to hop on and have a look and follow me; I'm BrokePerception on all three!

I have managed to type down this story entirely in its first, to-be-edited version, and I can say that every chapter from now on will be progressively longer. All that I've got to do is proof read now, as well as decide if I'll go for a really intimate scene between these two or pass on that.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Clarke lowered her blonde head as she awaited the Commander's response to the two knocks on Lexa's bedroom door. A part of her didn't anticipate for Lexa to answer to her at this hour, and maybe part of her didn't want her to ── the part of her that knew she would feel guilty if she woke Lexa from her sleep. Another, smaller, quite relentless, part of her, though, longed to see Lexa smile tiredly at her and to lay in her strong arms for just a little while, momentarily forgetting the rest of the world. That part of her had been responsible for thoughts of the Commander in her head all day as she sat with Octavia and the others ── sometimes talking, sometimes not ── while she took care of all of the things that had to happen to prepare for the ritual, in less than forty-eight hours. They hadn't even seen each other for most of the day until dinner time, after which Lexa had disappeared nearly immediately once more, telling Clarke that she would come by her rooms that night before she retreated to her own to sleep as well. The blonde hadn't seen her come by, though, and the Commander didn't easily break her promises to Clarke Griffin, at least not since Clarke's arrival in Polis, since the two women had reconnected, more and further.

When she heard no sounds from within the brunette's rooms, a sigh eschewed from thin pink lips, and she assumed she had been right in assuming that it was too crazy a time to be at the Commander's bedroom door, engaged or not. She had sat up in bed for thirty minutes, just looking up at the moon high in the sky, debating between going to her rooms or not, telling that needy part of her to just calm down. When she had at last decided that she would try and rap on the Commander's door once and return, without more, if it remained unanswered, and she had left her room to do as she had told herself, she swore she had seen the guards by Lexa's doors look at her like she was crazy and maybe even roll their eyes. After they met with the Ambassadors, Clarke had insisted that she would feel better if the Commander was protected at all times by the most trustworthy of her guards.

Reminding herself of what she had told herself as a condition for attempting to see Lexa, the blue-eyed blonde forced herself to turn away and go back to bed and lay awake as she tried to fall asleep a little while longer. When she made to move to her room again, she heard the soft creaking of an old door being opened and felt a small breeze of wind hitting against her bare ankles that must have come from Lexa's open bedroom window and must have streamed through the cracked-open door upon her. The blonde woman looked over her shoulder and halted as she lay eyes on Lexa in her simple nightdress, dark against tan skin, her hair tumbling down in soft waves over one shoulder as it usually did when the Commander was ready for bed and when she was just Lexa, without titles.

"Clarke," Lexa acknowledged; it wasn't a question. If she was surprised at all at seeing Clarke at her door close to three-thirty AM, she didn't show it. Instead, the Commander simply opened her bedroom door a little wider to invite Clarke in, the cool night breeze upon Clarke's face as she did, and made a small head gesture. The blonde doubted only for a moment. She suppressed the expected feelings of guilt for being so needy that already began to slowly worm into her head and heart, took a breath and just accepted Lexa's wordless offer. The part of her that had longed for the Commander's comfort had been too strong to ignore for her.

When the door fell shut, nearly inaudibly, Lexa made for the most bombastic of her furniture in her bedroom ── her large bed ── without looking at Clarke. She didn't say a word as she crossed the small distance, not needing to look back over her shoulder to know that the blonde was following on her heel. The impressive bed barely creaked under the brunette's weight as she sat down on it and moved back to make room for Clarke until she hit the tall and beautiful, intricately-carved headboard, pulling her legs to her and calmly draping her arms across them. The blonde followed suit after a second's hesitation and sat down as well, folding her legs under her against the bed end. Despite the size of the bed, this brought them closer to one another than they had been the majority of the day. Seated in a similar way, across from each other, Clarke Griffin remembered the last time that they had sat there like that, when they had decided to marry one another before Lexa's people.

It took the blonde some seconds to shake from her reverie, the silence that filled Lexa's bedroom hitting Clarke's eardrums, and an uncomfortable feeling that she was not used to with the Commander began to pool in the pit of her stomach and grew the longer the silence lasted. When she lifted her gaze, she saw the look of expectancy in Lexa's eyes. The Commander didn't seem exceptionally uncomfortable ── or certainly not in the way or to the extent she was. She merely appeared to wait on Clarke to take the lead and tell her the reason why she had been at her door at such a late ── or early ── hour. Unreasonable hour or not, the blonde didn't fail to notice how Lexa's hair lay over one shoulder neatly and how her dark eyes were alert nonetheless. Clarke thought she remembered the Commander slightly differently in the morning, when she had woken next to her. Maybe that had been a direct result of their incredible night together. A tiny part of her wondered if Lexa had even seen her bed yet.

"I hope I didn't wake you," Clarke began.

"You didn't," Lexa whispered. With a shake of her head, she tried to tell her she shouldn't feel too guilty, for what she hadn't done.

"I thought that you said you would stop by before going to bed as well, but I didn't see you," Clarke spoke. As the words left her mouth and hung in the air between them both, Clarke thought maybe she came across a tad too judgmental and accusatory. For a moment then, she felt the need to tell Lexa she hadn't meant it that harshly and opened her mouth to do so even, but then she realized that, even if she had, potentially, worded herself too strong, she was hurt, and she had a right to be.

The Commander remained quiet for a moment as she regarded the other woman's unusual behavior. She could tell that the blonde was very hurt, not only by her voice but by the crease on her forehead as well, somewhere in-between what she interpreted as anger and genuine confusion. "I did come by your rooms when I came up to bed an hour ago," Lexa spoke in a calm, gentle tone. "You were already asleep, and I wasn't willing to wake you up. If I had realized that you wanted me to wake you, I would have. I just thought it would be inconsiderate to disturb your sleep in the middle of the night."

As the words hit Clarke, the blonde formed an inaudible 'oh' with her mouth. In that moment, she wished she had apologized for coming on so strong, so she did. "I'm sorry. I am sorry that I fell asleep, too," she said. "I wouldn't have minded if you had woken me, but I know I didn't do a good job of communicating to you that that was alright. I reckon maybe I have had all of an hour and a half of sleep since I retired a little before midnight."

Frowns of worry crinkled the space between Lexa's eyebrows now. "I'm sorry you haven't managed to get the sleep you need," she spoke, "If you have a need for additional pillows or for another quilt to be more comfortable, please don't hesitate to say so. It is not an issue or a lot of effort for my people."

A small smile appeared on Clarke's lips at the word 'people' rather than servants. Lexa wasn't, per usual, ambiguous about her position as Commander of the Twelve Clans, but she wouldn't, by any means, use that sort of inferior terms to speak to or about them. Clarke noted Lexa's gaze then; it betrayed that she knew Clarke's inability to sleep had nothing to do with how comfortable or not her double bed was ── in any case, it was better than her bed in the Ark by far. "The bed is just fine. I worry, that is all," she said. She decided, quite consciously, not to say more and maybe give Lexa the feeling that she had doubts and maybe even changed her mind regarding their marriage. Who better to talk to about it than the person she would marry in only two days?

Lexa tried her best to stay reserved. She only managed to appear so on the surface, though, as Clarke words hit her, filtering into her mind ── how calm she appeared on the exterior didn't correlate with her raging heart beat. She couldn't stop the way her stomach coiled and turned and how very sick she felt all of a sudden. She felt like she had gotten a bucket of ice cold water dumped over her head. "Do you have doubts?" she had to ask.

A sigh eschewed from Clarke's mouth; she was entirely at a loss for words. She had no doubts, but she didn't know how to put into words what she did feel. She shook her head then, looking down into her lap, no longer able to take the hurt in Lexa's deep green eyes ── for one reason or another, Clarke Griffin had learned (been allowed) to read Lexa very well in a relatively small time frame. "No," she said. "I don't believe so. I just... I don't believe I am a prude, but I'm not at all thrilled to reveal my naked self to all of Polis or to share what is only supposed to be between the two of us, such intimacy, with the entirety of your people."

The Commander frowned slightly. She felt the immediate need to clarify that Clarke and she were on the same page as she let the blonde's words sink in and the way she had phrased them exactly. Clarke, however, had gone off on a tangent and wasn't likely to let her speak before she was done and had spilled all she was feeling. Involuntarily, it brought a small smile on Lexa's lips, and she figured that it was best to just let the blonde vent for now and for them to revisit it all together when she, if she, became quiet.

"It doesn't even make sense," Clarke continued, too wrapped up in what she felt, too focused on her own fingers, pulling at Lexa's blanket, to notice how the other woman had really wanted to cut in there. "To me, it is just as ridiculous for a Commander to have to show herself in that sort of state to her people as it is for the Nightbloods to kill each other off at the Conclave that determines the next Commander, no matter how few there are. Isn't a Commander supposed to be above all of that, to lead with the strength her people can find fortitude in, rather than to show to everyone how human she is?"

By the end of her monologue, Clarke's eyes were upon Lexa again, looking into her green eyes for answers to her questions. When Lexa was certain that Clarke wanted genuine answers to the questions she had posed and that they hadn't been rhetorical, regarding Clarke, waiting several seconds in which neither of them spoke, she decided to try and answer as best she could. "I don't believe there's a lot of sense to it either, but the idea is that a Commander shouldn't be afraid to show to their people that they love in an intimate way. As for the ritual we have to perform for us to become married, I'm not certain we're on the same page..." Lexa spoke. Clarke didn't have a chance to ask what she meant before the Commander continued, both ignoring and already answering to the crease upon Clarke's forehead. "The marriage ritual takes place at dusk, and it will be pitch dark when it ends, at the time of consummation of the marriage that has just been finalized. Both of the partners will have to undo a part of the other's robe, as a symbol, before their retreat to a far more intimate place specifically for them, namely a tent set up in the middle of the Polis market square, lit with candles. Everyone who saw the ritual get performed is allowed but not forced to stay and listen or watch in however a way possible in the dark, but that is as far as it goes really," Lexa stated, before a full-on smile spread over her face, and the Commander actually laughed when she saw the look of realization show in Clarke's expression.

As the soft sounds of laughter bubbled from the brunette, Clarke Griffin noted that it was the first time since Lexa and she had met all those months ago now that she heard the Commander laugh. Clarke felt her own lips pull in a small smile at that, as well as at her own stupidity and the relief she felt wash over her; it sounded a lot less bad now than it had.

"My people won't get to see either of us naked, Clarke. I don't share easily, and if that is what had to happen to fulfill the ritual, I would never even have considered asking, because I would never have been okay with it. I am not all that comfortable with what has to be shared for only the sake of my people's ways already," Lexa said.

Clarke felt her cheekbones grow quite hot as they turned pink with her embarrassment. Despite how little she knew from Grounder tradition, she should have realized ── they wouldn't have driven it that far. Lexa would never have asked such an 'invasive' gesture. She wanted to just sink through the bed in shame of what she had thought and hadn't asked Lexa or anyone to clarify earlier. The Commander had learned to read Clarke just as well as she had learned to read her, though, and she tucked a sole finger under the blonde's chin to lift her face, so that green eyes could meet blue ones.

"Don't be embarrassed, Clarke," the brunette whispered in a soft and loving tone.

The Sky girl thought that it was far easier to say and ask this than to do it, but as Lexa's soft words washed over her, she somehow did feel compelled to do as she was asked and just let go of those negative feelings. She felt her embarrassment begin to flow away from her body and make room for feelings of deep love and contentment ── the comfort she had felt the need to have so badly before deciding to go over to Lexa's rooms and see if, just maybe, she was up still... which she had been.

In that moment, with Lexa's nimble fingers upon her jaw, gently guiding her to look back up at her and finding love, only love, in Lexa's chartreuse green eyes, Clarke knew for certain then that she loved Lexa _kom Trikru_ more than she would ever even manage to put in words or to draw or paint, physically, emotionally, sexually, spiritually ── in any way one could even begin to name. She felt connected to her on an inhuman, surreal level. This was one of those things she knew she would never manage to explain to Lexa or any other person either. She knew that there was _something_ deep within her that pulled her to the Commander, though, _something_ in the depths of her soul, _something_ that connected them both in a superior way and refused to let go. Who the fuck was she to interfere with or deny her heart's desire?

"It will be alright," Lexa whispered. "Once we've gotten married before my people, we will go to Arkadia together and try to salvage what we can of the situation there and seek justice, for Lincoln and the rest, without anyone's blood being spilled if that is still what you wish, to create peace and change. Maybe our marriage will force some of the Sky People's acceptance as well."

The blonde couldn't help but to lean into the touch as Lexa slowly began to stroke the tips of her feminine fingers over Clarke's jaw line, and she nodded. "Maybe," she said under a sigh. She wasn't convinced at all that they would be able to do very much there, and they didn't have a plan. All that she did know, was that Pike's tyranny just had to stop for everyone's best interests, maybe even Pike's own. With Kane or her mom as the Chancellor, they had still had a semblance of a chance. Clarke pushed back the thoughts and worries she felt regarding her mother. She couldn't really shake the feeling that something ── she didn't know what ── was not right with her. Briefly, Clarke thought about mentioning her worries to Lexa at that moment, but they had other things to focus on. Part of her knew that she didn't have to tell the Commander for her to know she must be worried about Abby either.

Tenderly, lovingly, Clarke kissed Lexa's fingertips as she turned her head just a bit more to the left, towards Lexa. "I know that we are not supposed to see each other twenty-four hours before our marriage ritual, but it isn't yet an entire day before we're set to marry," Clarke began, "Will you make love to me?"

Lexa's smile touched her green eyes at the other woman's quite innocent, yet not, request. She knew that the younger woman probably needed some reassurance before next day's dusk fell, and she could use some as well herself. Lexa's answer came in her actions, leaning in, touching soft lips to Clarke's, her body weight serving as leverage to lower the other woman upon the big bed.

* * *

Author's Note: Please review. I'm on Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr as well, by the way ── feel free to hop on and have a look and follow me; I'm BrokePerception on all three!


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Two raps on her bedroom door brought Clarke from her reverie, and she lifted her head from her hands and looked up before she slowly lifted herself off of the cold window ledge and padded over to the door. For a moment there, Clarke's heart had jumped and she had expected for it to be Lexa, realization then immediately sinking in as soon as she thought it. It couldn't be her. Lexa and she were only several hours away from the marriage ritual. Grounder tradition prescribed for the both partners not to see or hear each other, up to twenty-four hours before it happened, to allow them time on their own to change their minds, to be absolutely certain that they both wanted to unite themselves in such a definitive way for the entire rest of their lives. Blue eyes flashed to the position of the sun, as her ears picked up on the usual sounds of mid-day Polis, market people slowly beginning to pack up and returning to their homes with their exchanges or purchases or both, before she took a calming breath and began to make her way to the door to open it for whoever wanted to talk to her.

As her footsteps carried her to the bedroom door and the whoever had come calling for her, she folded the thin paper between her nimble fingers neatly, into the tiny piece it had been left in for her to find, by Lexa, and slid it into the waistline of the borrowed pants, just before she reached for the door, pulling it open to reveal no other person than Octavia. She was both surprised and not at all to find her of all people there.

She didn't speak as she took a step back to let the younger woman into her room, gently nodding towards the guards by her door before she closed the door again, turning to look at her companion without moving away from her position by the shut door, keeping a minor distance between them. The last time that they had talked about Lexa and Clarke's relationship with her, Octavia's face had been like steel and her words harsh and full of blame, and especially non-apprehension. The lines visible in the younger woman's face were both softer and more determined at the same time this time, Clarke noted. Whatever she wanted to say, she would at least give Octavia a chance to speak, but she wouldn't cope with any more accusations ── not on this day.

The darker-haired girl seemed to notice as well as acknowledge the look in Clarke's eyes. "I haven't come to yell at you today," Octavia said, and a small smile pulled at the corner of full lips but disappeared again before it could fully blossom. It was very hard to smile with the immense heartache wrecking her body and threatening to engulf her, the only thought keeping her alive at that moment the knowledge that Lincoln had died wanting to protect her, wanting her to live and make things better where he hadn't managed to.

"That's good," Clarke noted, hearing the truthfulness in the Blake girl's calm tone and daring to step closer in an effort to show her that she would listen to whatever Octavia did have to say.

As the blonde came to a halt a foot away from the other girl, Octavia took a breath as if to steel herself, for what she was going to say next. Grey-green eyes met blue ones, and an intense and strange apperception passed between the two females. "I have come to wish you the best of luck," Octavia said. "I don't claim to know what you and Lexa have or how that works, but I know you well enough that you wouldn't get into that sort of commitment if you weren't certain of your case after she betrayed us on that mountain. I know you always wanted the best for us, even if I didn't always really accept your ways to achieve it. I can't say that I don't doubt her after all that she did, but I don't doubt you, and maybe that is enough. I know that Linc…"

As the name of her mate came upon her lips, Octavia felt like the heartache within her gripped her impossibly tighter and was possibly threatening to suffocate her. She forced herself not to give in to any of those feelings that would stop her from talking about the man she would never stop loving, though. She would never just stop talking about him, no matter what happened. He had been a good man who had died trying to do right for her and his people, for everyone, and he didn't deserve to just be forgotten by her or anyone else. Clarke, recognizing the position she was in, reached for Octavia's arm and squeezed it gently to let her know that she was still there, not sure if that helped her or made it worse or didn't do anything at all.

Octavia, seeming to do take comfort from the small, simple gesture, cleared her throat audibly, barreling on as the warrior Lincoln had helped her be. "Lincoln was cast away from his people, but I know that he trusted Lexa until the very end as well. If I can't believe in you, then I should, at least, believe in him," she said. "It is the least and maybe the last I can still do for him from here on."

Clarke, unable to find words but completely overwhelmed by Octavia's approval nonetheless, if she could call it that, took a step closer and enveloped the brunette in a hug that she hoped managed to convey exactly how much the words she had heard meant to her. As she leaned her chin on Octavia's shoulder as the other girl hugged her back, she thought of her mom in Arkadia and how somehow she wished she had been there when Lexa and she completed the marriage ritual. As a small child, Clarke Griffin had imagined that she would marry a prince, that her mommy would be there with her every step of the way. Now, a decade and several years later, the person she wanted to be with was as far from a prince as she could imagine, and her mother wouldn't only not be there to give her whatever advice she might wish to ask for, but she wouldn't be with her at all.

.

Octavia's words were _exactly_ what she had needed to get through the last few hours before Lexa and she would meet in the Polis market square, at dusk, to complete the ritual, to unite them as a married pair and force Lexa's people to one: recognize Lexa and herself as such, and two: treat them that way. She hadn't quite realized how much she had needed those words until she stood gazing from her bedroom window at the happily decorated market place and the small grey tent designated for them to experience their first official night together in, as a married couple… as Lexa's people stood by. Clarke Griffin tried to steel her nerves about that specific part of her upcoming evening, attempting to tell herself that it was at least not as bad as she had thought initially.

Looking down upon the paper in her shaky hands, she reread the neat, curly scribble of her betrothed again, despite the fact that she knew the entire text from the top of her head by now after having read it over and over again since a day before, when she had woken in Lexa's bed alone, finding the note in the cool pillow upon which Lexa had rested beside her. The piece of paper had already been smoothed flat now, despite the fact that it had come to her tightly folded. The paper's clean-cut edges had gotten slightly ragged now from Clarke running her nimble fingers over them over and over again.

Hearing the far-off sound of footsteps in the hallway to her own and Lexa's rooms, she let her eye fall upon the sky. Dusk had started to fall, and she knew that it was time. With a deep breath, she glanced down at herself and figured that she must look the best she could. Two of Lexa's subjects had come knocking when Octavia made to leave to help her prepare for the wedding. They had taken their time bathing her with the most odiferous soaps Clarke had ever smelled and had, to Clarke's great surprise, even taken the time to remove any and all excess hair from her legs and armpits with a small but very effective, well-sharpened razor that was far from the items she had resorted to on the Ark.

She had wondered what Grounders used in order to get such incredibly smooth results for a long time after her arrival until, one night after telling each other goodnight, she had, quite awkwardly, asked Lexa to stay back and answer a question for her. The Commander had smiled and ensured her that the right items would be brought to her rooms the next morning. Clarke, embarrassed by the long hair on her legs and her armpits, had gotten to work at once, and it had been effective for her as well, but it had, also, resulted in several tiny, painful cuts, as the blonde was not used to working with that sort of Grounder items, and she doubted she ever would be as well. As she turned on her heel and her smooth legs slid along each other, Clarke Griffin was glad that her legs would be both as hair-free and cut-free as Lexa's on their wedding night later. As she thought of it in those terms, Clarke felt on the verge of vomiting from nerves. The blonde's stomach contracted almost painfully.

Lexa's subjects had taken a long time to do her make-up and braid her hair in a seemingly simple but undoubtedly incredibly complex way that left part of it loose, running along her back. They had never been so careful to help her in a deep red dress that she had never seen before but nonetheless fit her perfectly. The nineteen-year-old had wondered, when she first laid eyes on it, if Lexa's dress would be similar to hers or entirely different, if it would even be the same color.

As she heard the footsteps grow louder as they neared her bedroom door, the blonde looked down at the note one last time before she padded slowly over to the big desk upon which her sketchbook and pencil lay, gently lifting the latter and using it in a way that would keep it in place there, where she would find it easily and not lose it until having decided on a proper spot for it.

 _You were still beautifully and peacefully asleep when duty called for me, and I didn't have the heart to wake you. I will see you at noon to have some food together before we part ways and see each other again for the ritual. There's no doubt in my heart, and I firmly hope that there isn't in yours._

 _Yours,  
Lexa_

There was no doubt in her mind either, despite the nerves she felt. They were not regarding Lexa or regarding their marriage, but mostly regarding her own desire to do it right if she was only going to do it once in her life. She felt nervous for Lexa as well. The Commander had slipped from bed and left her the note the morning before, and aside from a really late lunch together, during which Lexa and she had mostly remained quiet, each of them lost in their own thoughts, the things said between them superficial, she hadn't seen her for more than a day ── and she longed to do so. Polis was a beautiful capital, and she had learned her way and discovered potential occupations, sketching in a sketchbook that had been a gift from Lexa and reading some of the books in Lexa's extended library, but it wasn't the same experiencing it all in her own time, without Lexa by her side to help her notice the tiny things or give her the story attached to the things she noticed herself.

When she heard the sound of strong knuckles on her door, Clarke was already ready to open it and pull it back to look upon the guards that had come to collect her and accompany her to Lexa's side in the Polis market square, as Lexa had, however briefly, mentioned a day before at lunch. With a nod in response to the men's unspoken question, Clarke Griffin steeled her nerves and stepped from the room, letting the door fall shut, letting them take her to the woman who would be her wife before the moon would rise up in the sky. She was as ready as she could be, and there was no reason to be afraid, she kept telling herself, walking through familiar hallways and down staircases, while flanked by her two guards. This didn't compare to any of the times she had had reason to be afraid since landing on Earth, she rationalized, each of her steps taking Clarke closer to the person she longed so much to see: Lexa.

She passed hallways and staircases and people in a bit of a haze, doing her very best to stay focused and calm, telling herself that it all would be okay, that this was good for Lexa and for her, as well as for their people. As she strode towards the middle of the market square, through the throng of people only becoming thicker and bigger, she noted a hint of long dark hair that was held together in a similar, if not the same, pattern as hers, candlelight flickering upon it, and Clarke's stomach began to do summersaults, and it was impossible for her to quiet down her heart, which thumped hard and fast against her ribcage, especially when the Commander became aware of her soon-to-be wife's near-presence and looked over her shoulder, to watch her approach her in the middle of the Polis market square.

Blue eyes remained trained on the Commander as her feet carried her to Lexa blindly, as if they knew exactly where they were going, as she took in Lexa's ravishing appearance. She didn't believe that she had ever seen her more beautiful than that day. It was a cliché that she had been raised with, that women were supposed to look like delicate princesses on their wedding day, but _damn_ , did it apply to the Commander. Clarke hadn't seen much of her own hair when she looked in the mirror, earlier, but when she laid eyes upon Lexa's braided strands, she was certain that it must have been put up in the same way as hers. Lexa's war paint was flawless, as always, but it still seemed that one bit more perfect that night. As the people close to the middle of the market place moved aside for her and let her through to get to Lexa and the candlelight fell upon her as well, allowing Lexa to take in the way she looked as well, the Commander couldn't help but smile visibly, even before all of those people ── especially as her eyes fell upon Clarke's face and she noted the way the other woman's war paint was streaked in the same way as her own, as ultimate proof of their equality. Clarke couldn't help but smile back. When Clarke had first seen her own reflection and noted the similarity of her war paint to Lexa's, the Commander's subjects had, quite simply, stated that that was exactly what their Commander had requested, and it had overwhelmed Clarke with a love that she had never even thought existed. That measure of joy and love was nothing, though, compared to what she felt as she came to a halt before Lexa now.

The mass of people who had moved to let Clarke pass resumed their chosen spots, Lexa's people forming a tight mass that encircled them as they stood in the middle of the market square, with Titus. Clarke blinked and ripped her deep blue eyes away from Lexa to look upon the people who had come down to the market place to watch them perform the marriage ritual, and her gaze fell upon Sinclair, then Kane, Octavia and Indra. Somehow, somewhere, seeing them brought her some sort of relief, even if Clarke couldn't read their faces from there. Kane gave a small, nearly imperceptible, nod at her, though, and although she did not know the exact meaning of the former Chancellor's gesture, it brought her a reassurance, as if it was him giving his acceptance in her mother's stead. If he accepted, so would Abby. No?

As Titus cleared his throat loudly, Clarke's attention shifted back to the Commander and their wedding, and silence abruptly overcame the mass of people who had only continued to talk in hushed tones ── until then. Clarke's eyes fell upon the Commander then, and she took her sweet time running her gaze over Lexa and took in how absolutely beautiful the brunette looked. Whereas her dress wasn't exactly like hers, it did seem to be made of the same fabric. While Clarke's was similar to the one she had worn when they announced the marriage to the Ambassadors, Lexa's seemed to be a bit more daring. It didn't exactly reveal much of the Commander's cleavage but, instead, was open at the back nearly entirely to show off her tattoos. Clarke couldn't help but feel a bit protective, despite the fact she suspected the dress uncovered her back with a symbolic meaning. She was impressed with how the seamstresses had managed to get both of their dresses ready in time with their incredibly tight time frame, and how hers fit her perfectly without her ever even having tried it on. Clarke wondered fleetingly whether the Commander had had a chance to try hers before today.

Clarke and Lexa held each other's gazes as they both waited for Titus to be done with his speech in Trigedasleng. The blonde understood no word of his low murmur, despite the fact that she had learned a few things in Lexa's native language by then ── mostly things she wished she never had to say again, least of all to Lexa herself. Both Clarke and Lexa were shaken from their respective thoughts as soon as the Flamekeeper stopped talking; the seemingly sudden silence brought them both back to themselves, and Clarke and Lexa looked up at the bald man, patiently awaiting the next step in the ritual.

The swish of a blade being pulled suddenly cut through the silence on the usually bustling Polis city centre as Titus retrieved a thin knife with an intricately-decorated wooden handle. "Is there any doubt in either of your hearts?" he asked, and the formal tone in which he did, even though Titus' gaze lingered on Lexa's face a bit longer than necessary as he looked between them both, told Clarke that the question was a part of his task to perform the marriage ritual.

"There isn't in mine," Lexa spoke in as formal a tone as the man before them did.

"I don't have doubts," Clarke responded. She figured that a shake of her head wouldn't cut it but a verbal response would likely be needed there.

A simple nod from Titus confirmed that was what he had needed to hear to go on, and he twisted the thin knife in his hands, holding it by its tip while offering the handle to the Commander so that she could take it. "To show to your people that you dedicate your lives to each other now and that you love completely and entirely, I ask that you unite your blood for all eternity for everyone to see."

With a curt nod, the Commander took a hold of the knife gently but firmly with her right hand, raising her left before letting it fall open with her palm up. Without hesitation, she adjusted the sharpened dagger in her hand and ran the pointy tip of it ever-so-slowly but surely along her life line, apparently definitely deep enough to draw blood, the dark inky liquid immediately beginning to well up from the veins running underneath her skin, before she pulled it away. When she extended the knife for Clarke to take, she held the tip of the blade in-between her thumb and middle finger, leaving most of the handle free, so that she wouldn't hurt herself. When she made to reach over to take it, though, even before Lexa had let go of it, gasps began to sound among the people, which caused Clarke and Lexa as well as several other people to whip their heads about them nervously, in order to try and find the reason ── especially when the gasps were followed by a very familiar swishing sound, then a loud cry of what could only be immense pain. This was succeeded by a clatter of metal on cobblestones, and first Lexa, then Clarke, then the rest of the people in the market place, located the source of it. By the first row of people sat a man on his knees, one of his hands in the air, waving furiously, as he held the other under the spot where a strong, rusty blade sat imbedded in his shoulder ── barely non-fatal but disgustingly painful ── blood seeping from the wound onto his shaky hand and tainting his clothes. It wouldn't kill him, but she knew that he must be in as much pain as he had very likely ever felt. Clarke's eyes fell upon the bow and arrow that lay at his side limply, and she began to put the pieces together. Someone must have tried to take aim at them in the middle of their ritual, potentially to try and stop them before they could complete it together and Lexa's people would be bound by their own rules not to harm their Commander or her wife ── only give them the protection they might need.

Clarke Griffin looked at the man more closely, but she didn't know him at all. Quietly, she let her gaze travel over the other bystanders to look for the one who must have caused him his injury. She didn't have much of a chance to, though, for the offender, so to speak, had stepped from the throng of people into the weak candlelight already; the orange flames created an unreadable but haunted glow on her dark features. The woman was calm as she stood beside Octavia and an exceptionally angular-faced guard, his and his fellows' swords at the ready. The TonDC Chief and warrior had, quite obviously, been faster than any of them had been, though. They hadn't had a chance to defend Lexa before Indra decided to do so. Clarke's gaze briefly fell on the little smile upon Octavia's lips, full of pride. Apparently, Indra didn't need for the use of both of her arms to do her job.

"I will comply with your rule, Heda," Indra spoke, " _Jus no drein, jus daun_. I won't sit by idly if someone tries to hurt you or your chosen one, though."

Clarke blinked up from Indra to the Commander then and saw Lexa's slightly shocked expression become a more serene one as she nodded towards Indra in what Clarke, too, understood, as quiet thanks. She then nodded towards the guard beside Indra, who seemed to have waited for this particular sign from her to leave his place with his guard companion and make way towards the man who had attempted to injure both or either of them. The blonde's gaze fell briefly upon the blood slowly running down Lexa's hand, along long, incredibly feminine fingers, leaving beads of obsidian-colored blood on the cobblestones in-between them. Neither of their hands had loosened their tight grip on the Flamekeeper's ceremonial dagger; what had felt like centuries had really only lasted minutes. Lexa's green eyes fell upon the other woman ── just to make sure she was okay, Clarke knew.

Intense silence resounded across the Polis market square, as Clarke redirected her gaze to the man who had attempted to do them hard again and watched as Lexa's guards grabbed him by his arms as roughly as possible, which caused him to release a cry of pain that surpassed any previous ones, in volume and in pitch, before he was dragged away through the mass of people, away from the ritual he didn't even deserve to witness, to what Clarke assumed to be the Commander's Tower, and specifically a section of it that was mostly reserved for those who awaited their punishments. This man would have to answer either to Lexa or to someone else for his little crimes, too.

When she couldn't discern the man or the guards' shapes among the people in the dark any longer, the Sky Girl lifted her gaze up to Lexa, but she didn't look at her. In silence, she watched the Commander swallow, her firm jaw locked with great anger. The resistance they had been met with from Titus, the Ambassadors, most of Lexa's people, regarding her marriage to Clarke had caused a lot of feelings of anger for the Commander already, Clarke thought. For a moment there, that knowledge nearly created a wave of doubt, but Clarke wouldn't acknowledge it.

"Is there anyone else who still disagrees with my marriage to Wanheda now?" Lexa called in a crystal clear voice ── it was not the sort of tone that invited a response, verbal or not. The blonde noted that the Grounder people understood this as well, when she regarded the faces of the people close to her. Lexa's bark had squelched anyone else's potential desire to resist. Clarke couldn't say that she hadn't been startled by her bark a bit as well, even if she knew she had nothing to fear from Lexa herself.

When the echo of Lexa's voice disappeared, the Polis capital became as quiet as it had ever been. No one dared to speak as all of the people in the market square appeared to be holding their breaths, collectively. No Ambassador or other person spoke ── they as well bowed their heads as Lexa waited, waited for someone to speak up if they dared. After several long moments of silence only, when Lexa was at last satisfied with the response she got ── or lack of response ── she slowly turned to Clarke again, calling her name gently, like the difference couldn't have been bigger with how she had spoken just before. "Clarke," she whispered, finally letting go of the knife, so that Clarke could take a hold of it and do as had been requested. The blonde's hand only shook for one brief second before she gripped the dagger with it tightly, raising her free, right hand before letting it fall open, palm up, mirroring Lexa's earlier actions. Clarke Griffin hissed slightly, as she let the tip of the already stained dagger cut through her skin, and she, too, followed her life line, blood coming to the surface of her skin at once. With effort, she ignored her first instinct to cover the open, oozing wound immediately to try and stop the blood from seeping from it. From the corner of one blue eye, she saw how Titus extended his hand to ask back the knife. Handing it to him, she followed Lexa's example and held her wounded hand up in the air between them. Their hands entwined, and their fingers moved against one another, their cuts inevitably following suit, Nightblood contrasting with bright red for a moment before blending together as one.

It was then that she saw a change in the audience, as she saw a few people in the third and fourth row get on their knees, others following. Amazed, Clarke watched as, one by one, all of Lexa's people, with the exception of them both and Titus, sank to their knees, even the Nightblood initiates, with Aden among them, in honor and respect of Clarke and Lexa's new union. Lexa only seemed to lift her chin slightly in acceptance; she was, after all, used to being bowed for on many occasions, but Clarke wouldn't have guessed that they would actually do so for her as well, as they did.

She was brought back from her awe when she felt soft fabric slide against her hands and redirected her gaze to their entwined fingers, watching as the Flamekeeper wrapped a thin, dark red strip of fabric over them. She fleetingly wondered whether the red of their dresses, as well as this thin strip of fabric, was in reference to passion. The blonde suppressed a wince as the tie forced their wounded hands impossibly tighter for one more second, before Titus released it and bowed his bald head, taking a step back.

The ritual had been completed, she knew, and her thought was confirmed by Lexa's wonderful smile ── she didn't believe she had ever seen her smile that widely before. The Commander gently brought their entwined hands down by their sides but let them remain woven tightly together before she reached up with her right, blood-free hand. Nimble fingers slid over the small silver-colored fibula that held the blonde's dress up, despite being loosely draped over her collarbones. Carefully, expertly, it was undone by the taller brunette, and a part of the dress came loose and sagged a bit, without revealing anything at all. Clarke understood that it was only symbolical for the Grounder tradition, to prove to Lexa's people that they would soon, as prescribed, consummate their newly-formed marriage. Clarke knew that many marriages had been arranged back when Earth first became radio-active to bear children to grow the population, or so Lexa had told her.

Clarke swallowed the nerves she felt creep to the surface again and found the fibula on Lexa's dress with her own free hand. She struggled a bit more than Lexa had to undo it as deftly, oddly enough only managing to do so as she stopped looking down upon her own hands, instead redirecting her gaze to hold her wife's clear green eyes ── _her wife; Lexa was truly her wife now._

With part of Lexa's dress undone, too, Lexa gently nudged her head towards the small tent a few feet away, lit up by far more candles than she could count. With a nod from Clarke, the Commander made to move to it and gently pulled Clarke's hand so that they could walk through the Grounder people still down on their knees for them, along a small path that had been left free for them, wide by side, as she wanted them to for the rest of their earthly lives, as equals.

* * *

Author's Note: Please review. I'm on Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr as well, by the way ── feel free to hop on and have a look and follow me; I'm BrokePerception on all three!


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

The blonde woman looked back over her shoulder slightly as she heard the susurrus of soft fabric that indicated that the tent opening had fallen closed once more. Clarke Griffin listened carefully, to footsteps on the other side, and she could tell by the audible movements that a few of Lexa's guards must have taken their places by the tent's entrance. Their newly-formed marriage was supposed to force more acceptance upon the Grounder people, but Lexa wasn't taking any risks, and despite the fact that she had seen all of those people kneel before them as they completed the ritual, in respect, Clarke didn't know whether to find it worrying or endearing. When the footsteps halted, she let her gaze travel up, at the forms of shadows that she could see on the other side of their tent. Clarke blinked up at the many candles that were lit on nearly every possible surface then. She had learned that Lexa had a fondness for candles, but _this_ surpassed all that. A small squeeze to her hand brought the blonde back from her musings, and she looked to her left to see Lexa stare at her. The Commander's gaze was open and full of reassurance ── exactly what she needed then.

When their gazes met in the candlelight, the Commander smiled lightly, and as she turned her body towards the blonde, she gently reached for Clarke's hand with her own, as Clarke did the same. As their hands naturally entwined, Clarke tried to smile back, but it was obvious that her nerves still played a part and turned the gesture full of sincerity into one of nervousness mostly. Any intimacy that had happened between Lexa and her had never been planned, had been all spontaneous and the most right and natural to do at the time, but now it was expected, and it had to happen, which caused Clarke to feel lost a bit. The look in her new wife's green eyes told her that the Commander had noticed her nervousness, which made her feel somehow embarrassed.

The brunette gently squeezed her new wife's hands in her own. She felt the nerves cascade through the blonde's veins and roll off of her skin, onto Lexa, and the Commander wished that she knew how she could make the other woman more comfortable about the entire situation. " _Ai hod yu in_ ," Lexa whispered. " _Ai houmon_."

Clarke's serene expression became one filled with genuine confusion at the words that rolled from the Commander's tongue. She didn't believe that it was a word she had heard before, and she made to open her mouth when she saw the smile on the brunette's face widen temporarily, before she answered the question she didn't even have a chance to form and pose.

" _My wife_ ," Lexa translated.

When the translation as well as the inherent meaning of what Lexa had just said hit her, a sincere smile broke through Clarke's confused expression once more, wider and reassured as she began to forget about the rest of the world, about expectation. The way the candle flames played in Lexa's eyes made them seem brighter and greener somehow, and the way Lexa spoke to her was like a warm blanket that enveloped her. It seemed to her that those two words had lain upon the Commander's lips a long time now, however impossible that really was, given the fact that it had only been two days since they had first touched each other in that intimate a way. Then again, they had been together long before today, before that night, before either of them had kneeled down before the other. " _Ai hod yu in_ ," Clarke whispered back, taking one step closer, making it so that there was but an inch between herself and the Commander of the Grounder people.

The Commander couldn't help the way she felt her breath hitch, when Clarke closed the space between them. The weight of the world fell off of her shoulders as she regarded Clarke, and all she saw in that moment was Clarke, all she heard, all she wanted and all she truly needed. "You're so beautiful..." she whispered, as she brought their entwined hands up and brushed the back of her own hand over the blonde woman's cheekbone lovingly.

Whether it was Clarke or Lexa or the moment ── or maybe faith ── that closed the last few, final inches between them, neither of them knew, but neither of them really cared either as their lips touched each other's again in a warm, wet kiss that ignited feelings between and within them that they had explored before but not in that immense intensity. Gently, one of the Commander's hands slid from the blonde's and reached up to stroke Clarke's cheek before it tangled in Clarke's long hair. She held it there, at the back of the blonde's head when the kiss deepened, and Clarke's hand slid down to rest upon the Commander's waist, their bodies smashed together, as if she were afraid she might die if they parted now. Clarke and Lexa's kiss spiraled from a desire to a want to a need in a matter of seconds only, and despite the fact that their breaths grew more labored every second that passed as well and they were beginning to feel light-headed from lack of air as well as the intensity of it all, they couldn't begin to imagine parting. All that swam in their minds was each other, thought foregoing even the basic needs like air to breathe. All they wanted and maybe could breathe was each other.

Their noses gently slid across each other as they 'experimented' with the angles of their kiss, need pushing them to delve deeper, mouths opening oh so willingly to the exploration of the other's tongue, meeting it, curling and uncurling while they got reacquainted once more and stroked alongside one another. It was only when Clarke felt a tall wooden beam in her back, right in-between her shoulder blades ── one of the six poles that kept their tent up ── that they separated for a few seconds at Clarke's gasp and took the chance to look into each other's simmering eyes. The clear nervousness that had been noticeable there before was gone now, cleared by their desire for each other and the need for them to just feel alone in the world that very night. Their pupils had already dilated to deep dark pools of desire, desire to have each other and to feel, to touch... and suddenly there were way too many layers of cloth left between them, too much that still separated them from the delicious skin-on-skin contact they desperately craved.

They were so close to each other, their lips only a few inches apart and their breaths mingling in-between. Clarke's gaze remained trained upon the brunette's as she pressed Lexa impossibly closer, with the hand that wasn't still entwined with the Commander's. "Touch me, Lexa," she whispered, and with it, she lit the fire in the Grounder leader's gaze even more, if possible.

Lexa's response came in leaning in once more and more forcefully taking the blonde's lips with her own, her one hand still tangled in braided hair, the other's fingers moving down from between Clarke's as she brought their entwined hands up, over their heads, and grasped Clarke's lower arm, pinning it to the top of the wooden beam that she was helplessly crushed against, trapped between her lover's body and the hard wood that dug in her spine. Tongues fought for dominance first in Clarke's mouth and then in Lexa's, back and forth, first clockwise, then counter-clockwise and then back again. Somewhere along the way, Clarke's other hand slid from her wife's as well and grasped Lexa's hip as Lexa's grasped hers, too. It was not the kind of kiss that didn't lead to more of where it was coming from. Somewhere in the kiss, in-between angling and re-angling and attempting to only increase the contact between them, Lexa released Clarke's arm, and the blonde's finger nails dug into the wood for leverage as her body arched up with need against the Commander's, whose finger tips slid down over the length of the blonde's arm and came to rest on a clothed thigh. Intuitively, she lifted the blonde's leg up in their kiss and hooked it over her hip. Lexa's hand stayed in place on Clarke's bare skin, just above her knee, as the soft fabric of her long dress fell back, to revealed creamy white and femininely soft skin. The combination of movements opened her up slightly more to the Commander, and the brunette immediately took advantage of this and pressed up against Clarke more firmly, right against the apex of her thighs, where she wanted to be touched most of all.

Their lips simply refused to separate from each other, as Clarke's hand upon Lexa's waist began to wander of its own accord as her need to touch the Commander's skin grew so exponentially that she needed to feel her right then, right there, no second to waste. Her finger tips did not shake as they slid up and over Lexa's side, alongside the swell of her breasts on their desperate way to the fibula that had remained in place, only to undo it now. It took her only one try before she felt the heavy fabric of the brunette's dress come undone, and it was only then that their kiss, quite abruptly, came to a halt and their eyes opened again. Green and blue connected in light-headed passion as Clarke's hand ── the same one that had previously grasped the tent pole ── fell upon Lexa's waist and gravity caused the fabric to slide down from her fingers, away from Lexa's body, revealing her to her wife's eyes. Lexa, who had already anticipated Clarke's movements, allowed the blonde's leg to slide back down to the floor when Clarke first made to lay the hand that wasn't already on Lexa's hip on the Commander's waist, and the brunette's one hand moved down from the back of Clarke's head, only to rest upon her shoulder.

As Clarke stepped away from the tent pole, forcing Lexa to take a step back, too, with her hands on the Commander's hips, she created enough space between them for the fabric of her red dress ── which had gotten bunched up at the blonde's ribcage ── to come loose and slide further down her feminine shape, to puddle at her feet. Lexa's green eyes remained on Clarke as the blonde watched the dress slowly slide down from her hips to the floor. When the red fabric lay unmoving at the woman's bare feet, she dragged her gaze back up, along long, seemingly endless, smooth legs to a pair of very dark grey underwear, along hipbones and a flat, strong stomach, to the soft swells of small but firm breasts dotted with dark pink, taut nipples, and eventually Lexa's sincere open gaze.

Lexa couldn't help but swallow when she noted the look of hunger in Clarke's eyes, and she wanted so badly to be touched by her that the mere thought of the blonde's hands and mouth where her eyes had roved seconds before made unconsciousness tease at the very edges of her mind, tendrils of intensity spidering into her system, shocking the right neurons into motion. She felt tingles run down from the base of her skull across her skin, bubbling it in the process while her nipples became deliciously, near-painfully taut. She felt the damp stickiness between her legs as she stepped back from the soft puddle of fabric that was her wedding dress before Clarke ── or she herself ── could trip over it, Clarke moving with her, unknowingly putting them one step closer to the big bed.

Clenching her bottom lip between her teeth, Lexa attempted to stifle a low moan of need, her eyes fluttering between open and closed while Clarke's fingertips skimmed the edge of her underwear, from her hipbone down to the apex of her sticky thighs, and ran her knuckles over the length of her heated sex through the thin fabric, ever so slowly; Lexa gripped Clarke's shoulder tighter. When Clarke pulled her hand back, Lexa wasn't able to stifle the moan that slipped past her full lips this time. When she blinked up, Clarke's beautiful face coming back into focus through half-lidded eyes, she noted the look upon Clarke's face, and the small smile pulling at her lips: she liked the control. She liked the way she could play the Commander like a little violin, although no one ── Lexa included ── had ever taught her how to.

The Commander lifted her hand up from Clarke's feminine hip to reach for the fibula that held her dress up at her collarbone, rather than trace her entire side up towards it. The brunette didn't need to look at it to easily undo it, the red material falling away from the blonde's body and cascading down from it much like a clear waterfall, and just as beautifully. With a soft thump, her dress became a puddle of fabric only a foot away from where Lexa's lay. It left her clad in a very flimsy pair of underwear, similar to Lexa's.

As soon as the Commander felt the dress come loose, her finger tips slid from the blonde's shoulder across the swell of her full breasts, having wanted to just touch them so bad for so long that she felt like she had to as soon as she had the chance. Gently, she let her well-kept fingernails graze across a pebbled nipple before she ran her thumb more firmly across it, earning a soft groan from Clarke as deep blue eyes fell shut and the blonde threw her head back, her back arching against Lexa of its own accord. She earned another, quite loud, moan from Clarke when she grasped the entirety of Clarke's teat next, gently massaging the increasingly sensitive swell of it with her full hand and fingers. She stroked the soft skin and dug her almond-shaped fingernails in, experimenting with what would make Clarke feel good in that moment and managing to draw several gasps from the younger woman while doing it.

Mesmerized, she watched the way Clarke's body coiled when she touched her. Ever so slowly, the Commander ran the tips of her fingers of her other hand over Clarke's collarbone, until they felt the air between them change and Clarke brought her heavy head up again, as well as one of her hands, taking hold of Lexa's upon her bosom. She began to pull it up, over the brunette's head, as she pushed her two steps back with her own body as leverage, until it was Lexa who was pressed up against a tall wooden beam, this time one of the four posts of the big bed. Lexa's surprise was obvious in the way her mouth opened in a soundless gasp and in how wide the dark pools of her green eyes became. Lexa didn't have a chance to react to the new position Clarke had brought them in before Clarke grasped Lexa's free hand as well and pinned that one, too, above Heda's head firmly.

Green eyes focused upon the blonde woman before her, Lexa only twisted her hands to test Clarke's grip once: the strength of it pleased her very much. Lexa's eyes fluttered closed once more as the blonde leaned in to gently touch lips again, and they resumed the dance they hadn't finished yet. The Commander and the princess' tongues brushed over and across one another, and Clarke held the brunette's wrists pinned tightly together against the wooden bed post with one of her hands as she let the other fall down to Lexa's breasts. Lustfully, the blonde ran her palm over the soft flesh, back and forth, which made her light pink nipple pucker even more, even harder, and sent tingles through and entirely across the brunette's body to pool between her sticky legs.

Driven by feeling alone, she caught the Commander's nipple between thumb and middle finger, pulled gently at first and harder as she dug her nails in when she noted the brunette liked it. Lexa's lush lips parted in a scream that didn't come through. As it had done before, the mere knowledge that she was able to make Lexa feel this way and reduce her to a more submissive lover encouraged Clarke to continue. She took the liberty of gently digging her teeth in Lexa's lower lip before pulling away and bending her head down, her fingers making room for her hot mouth upon Lexa's nipple, letting her lips run ever so slowly along the sensitive, pulsating bud, while she released the near-painful pressure from her finger nails, before enveloping it in the warm wetness that was her mouth.

Clarke's lips formed a small smile against Lexa's nipple when she felt how the Commander arched away from the tall bed post and up against her, not able to control her body's urges to be touched by her anymore. Whereas their first two times had been gentle, mostly explorative, this time felt different, in many ways. It felt like the culmination of the decision they had made that had lead to their marriage. It felt like finally letting go of all of their worries and fears regarding. They had brought the ritual to a good end, together. Everyone had bowed before them.

" _Klark_..." it sounded in the Commander's native accent as the blonde sucked upon Lexa's sensitive nipple in quickly-successive motions. Clarke reveled in the fact that she had already managed to make her forget the use of the English language, and it only encouraged her to give Lexa more pleasure, to push her only closer to the precipice where she knew Lexa would let it all go for her ── and for her only.

When Clarke's warm mouth left the Commander's nipple, and with it, exposed it to the cool air in the tent, she decided to blow on it for more of a temperature difference. She puckered her lips before she blew across it and basically saw how it contracted under her gaze. When her eyes opened and they flitted up to Lexa's face, she was very pleased with what she saw. Lexa's eyes were closed, her lips slightly parted and quivering, and the Commander's breasts, she saw when she looked down, at their nearly-touching chests, rose and fell quite rapidly, as if the Commander had started to tire from a race that she was running. Clarke was convinced that they would reach their finish line together, though.

The blonde suddenly felt compelled then to lean in once more, to press their breasts, their hipbones together, and create a wondrous pressure that made their eyelids flutter before she forced herself to regain control, her lips touching Lexa's briefly, with fervor, one more time before she lowered herself to her knees before the Commander, forcing her to let go of Lexa's thin wrists entirely as both of her hands came down upon the brunette's hipbones, her fingertips teasing slowly along the very edge of her panties while settling comfortably before her, then pulling the piece of underwear down a few inches before it slid down the whole rest of the way on its own, rendering the Commander entirely naked to her hungry, lustful gaze. Her eyes never left the brunette's face, and she watched her open them, a haze of pleasure visible in them as she looked down upon Clarke before her, positioned perfectly to kiss her where the Commander needed to be kissed most of all. Anticipation was very visible in her expression, and in the way she shifted her weight from one leg to the other, her sticky thighs slipping against each other when she did.

As she slid her warm hands up and down the back of the Commander's thighs, she felt the chill of pleasure that ran through her, felt the skin bubble up under her lips when she pressed several kisses along the side of her silky soft thigh, pulling a low hiss from the brunette every single time her lips touched heated skin. A high-pitched moan broke through the series of hisses then, when she finally, finally, pressed her hot mouth to the top of Lexa's slick folds, and Clarke gently pressed the back of her right thigh and draped it over her shoulder, opening the Commander to her slow but oh-so-naughty ministrations. Proudly, Clarke Griffin regarded the brunette's intimate wetness for a moment before running her lips down the side of one of her folds, slowly, tormenting, pressing her hot tongue to her entrance for the most fleeting of moments before she slid back up the length of her, pushing past her folds then, to the hottest, the neediest, of her core. When she reached Lexa's clitoris with the tip of her tongue, the brunette shuddered, and Clarke's eyes flitted up briefly at the sound of hands digging into hard wood; Lexa appeared to be holding on for dear life on the tall bed post in an effort to keep her balance as Clarke brought her the pleasure she both needed and deserved.

A mischievous little smile spread across Clarke's face at what she had achieved and was still achieving, and the Sky Girl ran her tongue _directly_ across Lexa's clitoris, feeling how very tight and taut it was with need underneath her warm wet muscle. She repeated the action several times, pressing too hard and too soft at the same time, too slow and yet too fast, driving Lexa slowly insane. As Lexa's hips jerked in time with Clarke's lapping, attempting to move both away and closer to increase the delicious pressure ── neither of them knew which of the two exactly ── the blonde grasped her hips tightly, so that she held her in place. She felt the Commander strain against her as she pressed her tongue against Lexa's clitoris roughly at first and then slid it from the left to the right slowly, then faster, then more slowly once more, making it so that the Commander didn't know what to expect with every swipe of the kneeling woman's tongue.

Clarke quickly learned that when she sped up the pace, Lexa's breaths would come in quick, hitching gasps as she pushed her on the road to a great climax. She, also, learned that every time she slowed down once again, Lexa would release a sob at the loss of the desperately needed touch. She didn't know how many times that she had brought Lexa from hitching gasps to sobs and then back again by the time she felt a shaky hand come down upon the back of her head when she had just decided to slow down again, gently urging her closer, begging wordlessly not to tease anymore. "Please, Clarke..." it sounded in a heated, breathless voice.

It was all that Clarke Griffin needed to be convinced that she had maybe, just maybe, teased enough. Eagerly, she moved her lips over the brunette's clitoris entirely and sucked the sensitive little bud into her mouth, running her tongue over it and tapping against it as well. The combination of sensations definitely catapulted Lexa back into the orbit of orgasmic pleasure once more, hard and fast, and she arched into Clarke's touch, uncontrollable against Clarke's hold. The soundless gasps and screams that fell from her mouth sounded like she was very close ── so close to the 'finish line' of the race they had started together, and Clarke, in an effort to give her wife the very last push necessary to make her topple head-first into the abyss of incredible intimate delight, grazed even white teeth along her clitoris, immediately getting the reaction she had been hoping to get from Lexa there.

"Ah!"

Lexa's body jerked from Clarke's tight hold, before she fell back against the bedpost hard, shuddering against it with uneven rippling movements that slowed and decreased in their intensity every time. Neither of them heard the gentle laughter on the other side of their wedding tent, too much caught up in the moment that belonged to the two of them to hear the sounds of Lexa's people, when they heard their Commander's high-pitched cry of intimate release, satisfied that Clarke and Lexa's newly-formed marriage had, as expected, been consummated between the two wives.

Clarke knew without the gentle pull of Lexa's sweaty hand tangled in her hair that the Commander was too sensitive to bear any sort of touch directly upon her clitoris anymore, so Clarke pulled away, unable to resist leaving one last gentle kiss upon the most sensitive spot of Lexa's physical being, earning her only a low groan of disapproval and a jerk of Lexa's hips as if she were attempting to shake Clarke off. The blonde's eyes lifted up to Lexa's face as she continued to quite lovingly, in reassurance, stroke the sides of the brunette's thighs as she slowly came down from layer upon layer of her light-headed cloud of orgasm. She felt like she was flying and falling at the same time, sound merely a soft buzz in her ear that abated more and more every second and let her reality filter through again. The Commander's breasts were, still, rising and falling a lot faster than they did per usual, and her breath, still, rushed from slightly-parted lips in rapid puffs by the time Lexa opened her green eyes again to eye Clarke, ignoring the white and black spots that bounced in her vision as she blinked at her wife and allowed her gaze to regain enough focus to really look at her and see how beautiful she was in that moment. A soft blush dusted her cheeks as she saw the slightly cocky way in which Clarke smiled. Very briefly, she thought of how her people must have heard her pleasure, but she didn't have time to dwell on it as the blonde woman gently allowed her leg to slide from her shoulder before she came to her feet and straightened up, as gracefully as she had ever seen anyone do, both of her hands coming up to cup the sides of Lexa's face tenderly, as she leaned over to touch her lips to Lexa's once more. They fell back in a rhythm entirely their own nearly immediately, one that they had naturally created the very first time the two had kissed and that had become a strange sort of home that welcomed them in when they touched their lips to each other.

It was only when Clarke felt the brunette's hands upon her hips and felt her nails dig into her skin that a small flicker of thought lit up in Clarke's mind and she remembered how breathless Lexa had been after Clarke had sat on her bare knees before her to give her pleasure. She felt no indication from Lexa that she wanted to stop, that she couldn't breathe, or that she cared if she couldn't, but nonetheless, Clarke Griffin brought their quickly-heated kiss to a slow and then to a halt, their foreheads fleetingly touching as both of their eyes opened and they looked at one another. Feeling soft fingertips upon her skin and looking into dark green pools of pure lust, Clarke felt a more persistent tingling between her legs than she ever felt, and she knew that she needed to feel Lexa right then and there.

Their eyes never truly disconnected, as Clarke's hand left the Commander's face to take a hold of hers and pull Lexa away from the tall bed post a bit roughly before making a half-turn and pushing her entire weight forward while she released her hold on Lexa so that the Commander fell back on the big bed, barely managing to catch her fall with her elbows, so that she could still look at Clarke, who stood before her. Lexa swallowed when she saw the blonde hook one forefinger in the expanse of her panties, pulling them down ever so slowly, aware of exactly what she was doing then to Lexa. With it, the last barrier between the two disappeared, and Clarke didn't wait longer than a moment before she decided to take full advantage of it.

In that moment, Clarke Griffin felt very sure of herself, maybe even on the verge of cocky, no uncertainty left in her or any thought at all about anything ── or anyone ── else but the two of them from that moment onwards, as she placed one of her knees on the double bed, the other one quickly following suit as she straddled the Commander in a dominant way. Blue matched green then, and they made love with their eyes for several long seconds, conveying lust, conveying desire, love and belonging as Lexa decided that being able to just touch Clarke's skin already was really worth giving up her half-upright position for. She fell back the second her eager fingertips touched Clarke's thighs, gently pulling her wife with her when she did this. The Commander thought that it was quite a sight to see the Sky Girl throw her blonde head back slightly as she ran clean fingernails over Clarke's thighs. She had no time to consider her next move, though, for in the next moment already, it seemed that Clarke had taken a hold of one of her hands and started to lead it towards her eager entrance.

Lexa watched enthralled with half-open mouth as Clarke lifted her body just a bit and used Lexa's knuckles next to run back and forth over her wet folds, before taking a hold of two of Lexa's lither fingers and positioning them so that, when Clarke lowered herself once again, they slid into the depth of her. A low moan of satisfaction came from Clarke's mouth, and her back arched even more at the sensation of being filled by Lexa again, just enough, perfectly. Blindly, she located Lexa's other hand somewhere on her thigh and brought it to her bare torso, realizing at once that she would have to lean down some to achieve what she was attempting at the moment. When she was bent over far enough to meet her intentions, she pressed Lexa's free hand over her left teat; she was met with deep green eyes as soon as her gaze fluttered open. Clarke Griffin forced herself to keep their gazes connected as she lifted her pelvis up and then sank back down on Lexa's fingers again, which created the friction she craved. The next time she rose up on her knees, she angled her pelvis so that Lexa's fingers were only barely inside her still before she quickly slammed back down as hard and fast as she could. This pulled a low moan from her own throat and also made it entirely impossible, as much as she wished that it didn't, to keep her eyes open anymore. She fought it for but a few seconds before she knew her effort would be futile.

The blonde somehow ached at the loss of Lexa's green eyes in her vision, but at the same time, her lack of sight made it so that she seemed to feel everything more powerfully than otherwise. She felt her skin tingle as she used Lexa's hand to run back and forth over her hardened nipple, and she felt her muscles tighten, contracting upon Lexa's fingers every time she filled herself with them again. Despite the fact that she had never fucked herself that way before, using Lexa's fingers to please herself, she discovered a rhythm that seemed to work well for them both very quickly.

There were no words to describe how alluring and damn sexy Clarke was as she rode Lexa's fingers, and the Commander felt like she was lacking a few eyes to be able to see all she wanted to see. Her gaze flitted back and forth between that look of utter bliss on Clarke's face and the way she saw her own fingers disappear inside the blonde's warm wetness over and over again. She thought that it was incredibly, incredibly intoxicating.

Clarke Griffin wasted no time in their lovemaking right then, rocking her hips harder and faster to the desire she felt coiling inside her, guiding her, needing more, needing it hard and fast. Pants eschewed from slightly parted lips, and the delicious sound of skin slapping on skin filled the tent. Clarke's own climax nearly took her by surprise, announcing itself with a small lurch in her intestines, that made her feel like she was falling, into a deep dark abyss, a bomb of pleasure bursting before its tendrils could even begin to spread, catapulting serotonins through her entire nervous system. She rocked on top of Lexa more forcefully once, twice more before her pelvis began to jerk left, right, up and down uncontrollably for several seconds before she overcame her inability to move of her own accord. The blonde's eyes opened once more as she suppressed the last few quakes of what was an intense orgasm and gently slid the Commander's fingers from inside her, her muscles having begun to pulse _against_ the invasion near-painfully, and placed a small kiss on them before she let them fall to the side of her body.

Lexa's face was hazy in her gaze when she looked down at her wife. Nonetheless, soft smiles passed between them ── of reassurance, of relaxation. She felt no need to move yet, for now. She knew that the Commander wasn't done with her yet, if the look in her green eyes was any indication, and Clarke could live with it. Once Lexa thought that she had allowed her Clarke enough time, free from all input, she would tell her without words how very much she loved her again, and again, and Clarke would show her, and then Lexa her once more, and that game would last as long as it could, past that night as well.

* * *

Author's Note: Please review. I'm on Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr as well, by the way ── feel free to hop on and have a look and follow me; I'm BrokePerception on all three!


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

When she blinked her blue eyes open and her gaze fell on the unconscious still-asleep forms of Sinclair, Kane and Octavia and some feet further from the latter, Indra, she suspected that she was the first one awake. When she pushed her upper body off of the layer of leaves and branches, though, and came to a sitting position, she saw that she had been mistaken, and catching the graceful (ever graceful, the fearsome Commander was) seated position of Lexa beside her, she whipped her head back to look up at her wide-awake wife ── _her wife._ The memories of the ritual only a little over a day ago sat quite vividly in her mind, as did the memory of the amazing night that had followed, where eventually Clarke had managed to forget about the Grounder people on the other side of the tent well enough, but the word 'wife' still felt very weird in her mind, let alone her mouth. It would take a long while for her to accustom to seeing Lexa as truly her wife, to not constantly have the feeling that they had to hide what they had anymore. _Wife. Lexa was her wife._

A small smile came upon her features as she eyed the green-eyed Commander, eyes briefly falling upon the knife that she twiddled between her lithe feminine fingers before she looked back up into her eyes. They were soft as they regarded her, but at the same time, the Commander's forehead was rather creased with seriousness, and that made Clarke's smile waver and then disappear. Clarke's eyes trailed up into the dark sky, noting the fading moon and the starry blanket overhead scattered wildly across the deep blue darkness. She guessed that it had been a handful of hours since they had stopped to rest, before the final trek to Arkadia come morning, since they would need to be alert for the confrontation that would probably follow there.

"The sun will be up in not too long," Lexa spoke in a soft tone so as not to wake up the others, who had managed to fall asleep peacefully ── or as peacefully as possible right then.

Clarke slowly lowered her blonde head and looked back up at the brunette with a soft little smile, that, this time, the Commander did return, however briefly. She had gotten better at reading all things nature, at reading Earth, but she doubted she would ever be able to read it as well as Lexa did. Practice was all it really took, she knew, but still. Why would Clarke bother with practice if she had the answers beside her?

"We should continue the last small part of the journey as soon as the sun begins to rise," Lexa continued, not taking her dark eyes off of Clarke as she lowered her knife into her lap blindly and searched for and found the pouch of water that lay beside her thigh, picking it up and opening it before handing it to the blonde, so that she could lessen her thirst, keeping the top in her hands. Clarke hadn't even had to ask or imply that she was thirsty in any which way. "We have treaded into the territory that my warriors have set for the Sky People. I do not want to risk getting caught unprepared by them."

Gently taking the pouch, Clarke raised it to her lips and gently tilted her blonde head back so that she could take a few sips of water that salvaged the dryness in her throat. No matter how long or briefly she managed to sleep, Clarke Griffin always woke with clenching thirst and dry throat. She wondered if Lexa had noticed this and filed that fact away for future reference or if she saw it in Clarke's behavior somehow. By now, Clarke had given up already on attempting to explain the ways Lexa seemed to just know things without asking, but she still couldn't help wondering whenever she was confronted with it. As she pulled the pouch away from her mouth, handing it to Lexa again so that she could shut it once again and return it to its spot, she wiped her wet lips dry with the back of her hand, watching as Lexa briefly tilted it to ensure that it was properly closed before settling it beside her again, looking down at the silvery knife in her lap before picking it up carefully. Clarke's mouth opened as she watched Lexa's dark eyes run along the sharpened blade momentarily before she surprised the blonde woman with her next action.

The blonde's forehead creased as she watched the Commander turn her head completely to the right, away from Clarke, and tilted it slightly, her hair falling over her shoulder. Gracefully, she transferred the knife to her right hand and raised it as she gently picked up the thin braid that had been weaved from her left temple, down. This could only go down in one way, Clarke thought, but she was simply too stunned to find the English language back as she watched the Commander run the edge of her blade along the lock of hair and sliced it right off at her jaw line. When the Commander shook her head, her long dark hair falling over her shoulder once again to run down her back, she lowered the knife into her lap before looking up at her wife. Proudly, she held up the lock of hair towards Clarke, who only looked confused.

She knew that it was custom in the Grounder tradition to cut off part of one's braid and give it to family or friends when one died, but Lexa was not at all dying… or was she? Eyeing her wife quickly but thoroughly, she didn't see anything too strange about her since she had closed her eyes hours ago and fallen asleep by her side. The look in Lexa's eyes and soft smile on her pink lips, however brief, calmed her down and stopped her train of thought before it could create a fully-fledged panic.

"I'm all right, Clarke," she assured, breasts rising and falling as she took a few deep breaths and sighed, slightly shaking her head. "I just… I'm the Commander, and that means that I might not always be all right. I would rather give this to you now, myself, to keep close to you, than that you have to receive it from someone else in case something happens to me."

For a long moment, Clarke just sat there and stared at Lexa and the lock of hair in her hand that she meant to give to her, before she reached for it, holding it up in her own hand before looking down and reaching for the side pocket on the thigh of her dark jeans, opening it with her other hand and gently stuffing it in, just to keep safe until she knew a better spot. As the blonde looked back up and her eyes fell upon the silver-colored blade in Lexa's hand, the Commander caught her and shook her head immediately.

"I'll have you beside me," Lexa spoke. "I'll give my life for yours if needed and do all that I can to keep you unharmed, until the day my spirit finds its successor. You will not die before me under any circumstances."

Clarke was the one shaking her head then, and as she did, the first rays of deep orange sunlight peeking at the horizon and finally batting through the thick green deck of branches and leaves overhead fell upon her face and glinted off of her light hair. She couldn't help but squeeze her eyes together slightly. "You can't know that," she said. "Anything can happen really, whether you're there to keep me safe or not. I may fall ill from an incurable disease."

"You won't," Lexa argued in a way that ensured her wife knew this were her final words.

They held each other's gazes for a moment then, each set in their own convictions, before the tension between them was broken by a sound near them and they both looked away, eyes falling upon Indra raising up from her cramped position, followed by Octavia nearly immediately after.

"It is time to leave," it fell from Lexa's lips.

The look upon Octavia's face alone indicated that she was taken aback, but Indra, despite having just woken up from a mostly sleepless night, nodded without more. Meanwhile, Clarke exhaled deeply and planted a hand in the dirt beside her to push herself to her feet, not at all ready for what she would find in Arkadia, also aware that she had to get there fast for the sake of her people nonetheless, if not for her own sake and peace of mind.

It seemed that the closer they got to Arkadia, with every sound of her own horse's hoofs in the dirt, the feeling of not really being ready to face what she would find seemed to grow and knot her stomach together, tighter and tighter while her mind played several memories inside her head of herself and Lexa in Polis, where she had managed a near-undisturbed existence, if it hadn't been for the thoughts of the Sky People, of her mom. It didn't help her, especially since they had stopped not at all too far from the clearing of trees where Arkadia was, and it was maybe half an hour until Lexa coaxed them all to a halt with her hand, urging them to get off of their horses and tie them up to the trees far enough away from the Ark so that they wouldn't get noticed, at least before they had all gotten into the camp the way Kane had talked about.

Everything and everyone in the Ark seemed quiet and asleep as Marcus Kane slid the panel back in place which, once removed, served as a hole through the fences of the Sky People's enclosure. When he rose to his full height, the one true Chancellor blinked to Lexa, the only one he seemed to rely on to come up with a plan from there on, onwards. Kane had told her not to designate a plan before leaving Polis specifically, asking her to just rely on him to get them all in Arkadia safely before they could assess the damage and go from there on, for they couldn't have guessed how the situation would look, and Lexa, having seen truth in his words in Polis still, had agreed. It was Clarke who answered the unspoken question he had directed at her wife, though. Glancing up and down the section of the Ark where they were, connecting the dots in her mind and locating where they were on a virtual map in her mind's eyes, she figured that she had the best chance at finding her mother somewhat further down the hallways, near the 'Medical Section', and that they had to stay clear of the other direction, that brought them in more often frequented areas of the ship. "We should go and find my mom first, and then Pike," she spoke, and she as well as everyone knew that that plan definitely made most sense.

Clarke and Lexa shared a look as the latter eyed the blonde at her suggestion, before she directed her attention to one of her most-trusted guards. " _Indra, ste kamp raun hir_."

At the woman's nod, Clarke watched Octavia's gaze travel to the warrior as well. Like Clarke, the brunette had understood Lexa's request in Trigedasleng. _Stay here._ Indra didn't pay any attention to Octavia's display of worry. Kane, despite his limited knowledge of Lexa's native language, did and turned to Sinclair. "Stay here with Indra," he said, and it earned him a nod from his male companion, before he looked up at Clarke, relying on her to call the shots.

Wordlessly, Clarke turned towards the long empty hallway before them. The blonde looked up at her wife; the Commander's solitary nod was all she had needed to begin her way down the hall as quietly as possible. She didn't look back to see if Octavia and Kane were following or not. She knew that they must be.

As they made a small turn to the right, Clarke naturally crouched and began to walk just a little slower, with more effort to do so as quietly as possible, as she reached for the handle of the sharpened blade tucked in the side of her pants. This caused Lexa to look down upon the shiny blade for a brief second. She had never seen Clarke take it from the tall weapon rack in her rooms, but the Commander recognized Gustus' unique, delicate carving ── it was definitely hers. Admittedly, this made Lexa feel a little warmer inside. At least, Clarke did some effort to keep herself safe.

Maybe it was that newly-budding feeling of relief and success that sprung upon the blonde a bit too early that had made her far too cocky in her movements, maybe it just wasn't meant to happen. As she turned towards the left and raised a hand to open the closed door to the small hallway that she knew to be leading to the 'Medical Section' of the Ark, Lexa and the others still following in Clarke's wake, she was caught by a tall figure on the other end of the hallway, several yards from where she was. Clarke felt her heart still in her body yet race faster than ever in her throat as she was caught in her tracks, and she instinctively pulled the blade she hadn't stopped gripping, raising it into the air as the dark figure stepped from the shadows, to reveal himself.

"You've got the nerve to let _her_ in here," Bellamy spat, nudging at the woman beside her, who, too, had pulled a knife ── far larger than hers ── from between the folds of her clothes. Clarke had seen her draw a fair few weapons from her reserves, but she hadn't exactly paid attention to where she had put all of them or if she had all of them with her to begin with. If she knew Lexa well, she most likely did.

Clarke had already started to open her mouth in her and the Commander's defense when Kane pushed past them and caught the boy's angry gaze with his own, more open one. "Bellamy..." he began.

Kane revealing himself at that moment only seemed to make Bellamy angrier, Clarke noted in the way she saw his nostrils flare and the way she saw his hand tighten upon the gun in his hands, raised and pointed somewhere right in the middle of the four of them. In that moment, the blonde had no doubt that if provoked, he would use it on at least three of them, albeit never on──

"Bellamy," a softer but more certain voice sounded, before Octavia Blake slipped between Lexa and Kane to show herself to her brother, and Clarke immediately saw his gaze falter and the hand on his gun become just that bit less certain. "She's here to free her people, and I'm here to free ours. If you're going to tell me a load of crap now, about anyone _deserving_ it or none of us needing to be freed, save your breath, look down at yourself and what you've become, and tell me that that is the brother who vowed he'd always fight for my protection, no matter what happened."

For all of two seconds, Bellamy had appeared to waver, until Octavia had decided to speak to him in the harsh way that only she could, making him fume even more, nostrils flaring more than ever before. Clarke recognized this as a different kind of anger, though, and she watched Bellamy lower his gun by his side in what his sister only saw as defeat. The boy's harsh expression, however, never faltered when he looked up and down the hallway before pushing open the door Clarke had meant to earlier, grabbing Octavia's upper arm and ushering her in, ignoring the way she started squirming and throwing her arm back violently to shake Bellamy off, following her in the spacious room full of medical supplies that lead down to Medical, where Abby's room was, too. She had brushed him in the right way.

Gesturing with his hand impatiently at Clarke, Lexa and Kane, he coaxed them in with Octavia and himself, too, while keeping the heavy door open with his foot. Clarke thanked him with a simple but sincere look of gratitude in her eyes. She kept her knife tightly in her hands, though, as did Lexa, and she suspected the Commander's hand was not coincidentally laying over the side pocket of her pants, where she knew the brunette usually kept an exceptionally small but dangerous blade.

As soon as they had all filtered into the half-lit room, Bellamy slid his foot back to allow the door to fall closed quietly ── it was about the time that the rest of the Ark rose, and they couldn't risk being heard or noticed. Eyeing the party for a brief moment, Bellamy finally addressed his little sister, keeping her in place with his hands on both of her upper arms to ensure that she would look at him when he spoke, like he had done since she was small, whenever he had to say something of importance to her. This time when she shrugged him off angrily, though, unlike every other time in the past decade and a half, he did not attempt to place his hands back. "This is me keeping you safe. I know you don't see that right now, but──"

"So watching how Pike executes the love of my life like a worthless dog and doing nothing is protecting me?" Octavia spat, and Clarke could tell that she was doing her very best to keep her tone down and not draw anyone else's attention to them, well aware of how loud she could get if she wanted to, but still, the harshness in which she spoke the words made them quite deafening between her own ears, and she knew that the same would go for Bellamy as well.

The young man with the messy hair stiffened for just a second, and Clarke assumed that it was because of how harsh Octavia's tone was, but Octavia appeared to be a step ahead of her. "Yeah, I saw," she said. "I saw the way Pike pointed a gun at Lincoln's head and shot a bullet through it, and how no one did anything. We all used to judge the Grounder people for being ruthless and unjust, but now the tables have turned, and no one seems to bat an eye at it. Lexa has commanded all of her people to punish without bloodshed now, and we have turned into the savages we saw them as that kill people thoughtlessly."

Bellamy appeared slightly taken aback at Octavia's harsher and harsher words, feeling like being pushed into a corner, and Clarke felt what she discerned as guilt in, his eyes for a brief second, and that small flicker of goodness the blonde knew still resided in him gave her hope. Blue eyes connected with Lexa's deep green ones meaningfully, as their tightened knuckles fleetingly brushed against each other. Bellamy's voice dropped as he bowed his head in what appeared to be some sort of defeat, and he looked and sounded more like a boy than a man in that moment, when he said, "Pike is not the biggest danger to us ── not anymore. He's been detained."

Clarke was the one who cut in then, instead of his little sister, though. He seemed to be so taken aback by Octavia's words and whatever was going through his mind then that he seemed to forget to scowl at her for it. "Pike's been detained? By whom?" she asked.

"Pike and a few others that supported him," Bellamy clarified as he eyed her. "They got detained by Raven. She's turned into a completely different person, since she took one of the key things from Jaha, and I've seen her do things to people that I can't even put into words now, but they're not good things."

"Raven Reyes got Pike and his supporters detained?" Marcus Kane repeated, in disbelief. Bellamy confirmed this with a nod.

Clarke frowned, in confusion, as she heard this, half-crunching her eyes closed as she shook her head. It didn't seem to be right. Bellamy sounded like he was absolutely frightened of Raven, and whereas Raven Reyes wasn't to be crossed once she set her mind on something, she couldn't imagine a universe where she would ever be on the opposite of Bellamy in such a way. The way the blonde's thoughts remained upon the _'key things from Jaha'_ that Bellamy had mentioned was temporarily ignored when she wondered aloud, "Why would Raven detain Pike and his army?"

Before Bellamy could answer, she felt the way Lexa stiffened beside her in a fight or flight reaction and looked up in the direction she had seen Lexa turn to from the corner of her eyes. She instinctively gripped her knife slightly tighter as well, but as she laid eyes on Jaha and Raven on the other side of the room, having had to come from Medical, she knew she wouldn't ── couldn't ── use it. "Charles and his followers are not open to the wondrousness of the City of Light. We do not need for them to compromise those who only need a small push in the right direction," came from Raven's mouth.

As Clarke's clear blue eyes trailed over the dark-haired woman's figure, she had to confirm the woman before her might seem like the Raven Reyes she called her companion, but something ── something she couldn't really put her finger on ── seemed… off. There was _something_ in her eyes that seemed darker and... vile. She had no other word for it. It was not an adjective that she ever would have used to describe Raven. The words that came from her mouth didn't quite seem to be hers either, and her voice was raspy and strange, and it sounded... double. She immediately noted the heavy white bandages on the girl's lower arms and the lack of the brace which had held her leg, the last time she had seen her.

As Raven made to near them, Jaha following in her meticulous steps towards the five people huddled together close by the door, Clarke heard the way her wife's breaths caught, and she ripped her clear gaze away, to look at Lexa, whose eyes remained open but nonetheless fluttered with effort to do so. Lexa had taught her that the first rule in combat was to never turn your back to the opponent, but, in that moment, Jaha and Raven seemed less of a threat than her worry for her new wife. As she slid both of her hands to Lexa's shoulders to steady her, Clarke's voice sounded, "Lexa? What's the matter?"

The Commander refused to meet her wife's eyes, though, focused on the female figure that had quickly begun to close the distance between them. With each step nearer, from the second the Grounder leader had laid her green eyes on her, Lexa felt a deep burning in the back of her neck, running along her spine. It felt as if it spread across her entire body through her veins, like small knives in every cell of her body, and she became breathless from the intensity of fighting it with all she had, doubling over as her body cowered under it all. She had never even remotely reacted in that way to the other brunette ── there was something dark and incredibly dangerous about her that didn't bode well. She wished she could explain all this to Clarke, but she knew that she couldn't form words as the sensation paralyzed her entire being.

"Commander," Raven greeted.

Looking over her shoulder as Lexa's eyes seemed to widen in alarm, Clarke looked upon Raven's wide smile, and she noted that it was a sickening one, as if she was proud of what was happening before her. Clarke, remembering the words Bellamy had just spoken of how he had seen Raven do things to people that he couldn't even put in words, steeled her jaw and opened her mouth to ask her what she thought she was doing. She didn't get the chance to.

"I'm ALIE, and I am here to guide all of you to the glory of the City of Light," it sounded, "as I have guided Raven and your beloved mother already as well. I'm here to help you all find the same peace as they have, to a world where there is no pain."

In that moment, Clarke looked up at Octavia and Bellamy, only a few feet from where she herself stood, with Lexa and Marcus Kane at the brunette's other side. A strange understanding passed between them. She gave the darker-haired warrior a slight nod and received one in return, just before she launched herself at Raven/ALIE and knocked the taller brunette down with a high-pitched, appalled cry of, "Thelonious!"

Clarke ── continuing to hold Lexa up as best she could as the Commander's body quivered, coming only closer to sinking down on the floor every second ── watched as Bellamy followed his younger sister's example a half second later and sank to his knees beside her, helping to hold down the woman that was Raven yet not. She watched how he gripped her mowing arm and slid his right knee over it, to keep it pinned tightly down to the floor, as Octavia kneeled on her body and used her entire weight to do so, as she gripped the Engineer's arm that wasn't held down by Bellamy with both of her own.

The strength and fight Raven/ALIE presented seemed surreal, and a brief look exchanged between Clarke and Kane, both of them looking up at the exact same second, made the understanding pass that Clarke could take Lexa on her own for now. The former Chancellor gently left Lexa's side, ensuring Clarke had her, the Commander falling into her arms naturally, Clarke's arms coming up to run gently over her back in an effort to take away whatever was torturing her even as her own legs began to quake now under Lexa's weight, before he rushed to the Blake siblings' side and used his own weight to keep the brunette's kicking legs in place as best he could, imitating Bellamy and Octavia's method and kneeling on top of them, effectively pinning Raven/ALIE down.

The scene seemed to play before Clarke's eyes in slow-motion. In fact, it only took a mere matter of seconds for the three of them to knock Raven's figure to the floor and keep her pinned there with their weight. As Octavia readjusted herself and her entire weight appropriately, Clarke could see brief flashes of the Engineer's red face... and the seething expression set in it. She completely expected the next to happen as the seconds ticked by, with three people still having quite an issue to keep her in check. Octavia, ever patience-less, decided that she was not going to deal with it anymore without using superior actions and balled her hand in a fist before barreling it in Raven's face, once, twice, until her head fell to the side, the squirming coming to a sudden halt, Raven/ALIE's body going limp in just a matter of seconds, as unconsciousness overtook her nearly immediately after Octavia's second blow.

Jaha seemed to watch idly, however appalled at whatever happened before his nose, as Bellamy and then Kane came to their feet, aware that Raven wouldn't be conscious for the next half hour at least, after getting Octavia's fist rammed in her temple not just once but twice. "There is no need for anger or for violence. You will see this as you come to the──"

The harsh sound of yet another fist connecting with someone's face and the absolutely sickening sound of a nose break filled the air before he could finish his sentence, and Thelonious Jaha wavered for a second before, he, too, lost consciousness. Octavia looked up rather amazed at her older brother waving his sore hand in the air. He caught her gaze. "I had heard far enough about this City of Light already," he said.

Surprise made room for a tiny smile, before Octavia's gaze met Clarke's and travelled to Lexa's cramped figure in her arms and was immediately replaced with seriousness again.

"Be quick."

* * *

Author's Note: Please review. I'm on Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr as well, by the way ── feel free to hop on and have a look and follow me; I'm BrokePerception on all three!


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

She felt a warm hand take her own weakly, eyes full of tears as she saw Abby and the look in her eyes, which spoke only of craziness itself ── that 'crazy' was far from the woman she remembered her mother to be. Clarke's gaze flashed to Kane then, who had taken a spot by her mother's bedside and enveloped her hand with his as soon as they had entered, before she looked back at her mother's face, eyes wide-open but seemingly unseeing either way at that moment. As she ripped her blue gaze away ── away from Abby as she lay restrained to a bed in the medical bay ── no longer able to take it, Clarke Griffin looked up at Lexa, and she creased her brow in worry. The look in Lexa's eyes was unlike usual, too. The Commander looked exhausted, the burning sensation that had spidered through her body when she laid eyes upon Raven/ALIE only having dissipated when the AI lost consciousness. The fierce Commander refused to give in to it, though. Anyone else would have lain curled up in a ball and succumbed to the need to sleep for a long time.

"I'm all right," Lexa spoke in a mild tone in response to Clarke's unspoken question and the worry in her gaze, taking the blonde's hand tighter as they held each other's gaze. In that moment, they forgot that there was anyone else, only the two of them. Realization hit them then, and they were shaken back to the now as a loud metallic jingling echoed through the room, all of their attention diverting immediately to the source. It had been a wise little decision to make certain Raven /ALIE wouldn't be able to scream, a strip of fabric tied tightly before her closed mouth. The clinky sounds of her cuffs against the gray metal bars to which she was attached was loud in the spacious medical bay, but not loud enough to leave it. The look in Raven/ALIE's dark eyes was murderous, nothing less.

Clarke felt the way the brunette beside her stiffened again. Lexa, too, had instinctively lifted her green gaze up to Raven/ALIE, but it had brought the same, agonizing pain within her veins upon her that she had felt earlier, at their first meeting. Once Raven/ALIE and Jaha had both been incapacitated for the time being, the pain within her had let up as suddenly as it had come on ── the pain that had reduced the great Commander to a mind and soul trapped within a weak and entirely paralyzed body. She had been forced to feel the knife-like pain without managing to do absolutely anything about it. To Lexa, it had been one of the most horrible of experiences of her entire life.

Once they had both been down, Clarke Griffin had suggested they be restrained before they came to, telling Octavia to get Indra and Sinclair and lead both of them to the medical section, asking to see her mother next, having had that overwhelming and sickening feeling in the pit of her belly ever since Raven/ALIE had mentioned that she was in the City of Light. Nothing really could have prepared her for what she would find left there of her mother, even after seeing exactly what it had done to Raven. She had presumed that Abby would fight back the City of Light with all she had, but that was all.

In the way she tightened her already tight grip on the Commander's hand, Clarke tried to let her wife know that she wasn't alone. It was clear that whatever had overtaken the Raven Reyes she knew was the same force that was getting to Lexa as well. The pieces began to come together, but she didn't have all of them properly arranged yet, if she had all of them to begin with. That was a big assumption. She did know that if it wasn't for Raven's and her mom's sakes, she just had to put an end to this for Lexa's.

"They've tried pretty hard to get all of us to take those key things," Bellamy spoke, mainly addressing Clarke, as he shook his head in a way that conveyed he didn't get it all. "They got to Jaha and Raven and a few others, and they got to your mom. I don't know what they are exactly, but after seeing the way they change people, I can tell they're no good, and I for one, am not tempted to try them."

It was then that they all heard the door fall shut, and the group collectively held their breath and lifted their gazes, in preparation of a potential fight. Even the Commander, despite the white hot pain that ran through her veins, grasped the handle of her knife once again. The pain wasn't any less than last time, and she was exhausted, but she was also somehow more prepared for the sensation. Green eyes fell upon the figure of Octavia, Indra and Sinclair, and two young men with them that she had seen before and seemed to remember being called Monty and Jasper. Calmly, forcing her hands not to tremble as she felt the pain jolt on through her, the Commander watched how Octavia, together with Sinclair, closed the open door and made to barricade it in a way that no one could enter unless with extreme violence. "These two I saw running into Indra and Sinclair just before I got to them," Octavia said as she and Sinclair dragged a heavy side table before the lightweight door.

Clarke watched how Jasper's and Monty's eyes were pulled to the metal jangling, then fell upon the restrained figure of Raven/ALIE, widening when they took in her state, their surprise as to how in the name Clarke and hers must have even managed obvious. With a brief look from Raven to her paralyzed mother and her wife, Clarke knew what she had to do. The only way for her to get them back, was to go get them in the City of Light and destroy it if she could. "I need one of those keys to the City of Light," Clarke said.

Completely expectedly, she was met with confused looks from the people surrounding her then and Kane and Bellamy beginning to speak, in a shocked and appalled way, whereas Lexa simply stated, "No." The two-letter word from the Commander was spoken in as definite a tone as she had ever heard from her, and it pulled her attention to her wife. The Commander and the blonde's gazes met, and they stood there looking at one another, for a long time, the look of torture in green eyes overtaken by an anger that she had never seen before, and it was directed at her. "You are so foolish to believe I'll let happen to you what has happened to Raven and your mother. I can't possibly agree, and I won't."

At that moment, Clarke turned to Lexa fully, temporarily forgetting all about the other people in the room. The silence of the rest of the group did allow for them to. Green eyes latched onto clear blue ones as Clarke's hands found Lexa's and held onto them. "It is the only way I see to get them back, Lexa," Clarke spoke, and feeling the way the Commander's hands twitched, the blonde was reminded of how whatever it was that had overtaken Raven and her mother was clearly affecting Lexa as well. The way the anger in Lexa's green eyes remained at the foolish suggestion she had made, despite the burning pain that had had Lexa doubled over earlier proved how strongly she really felt about it. She knew that there was nothing she could say now to convince Lexa that this was the right and the only option.

"Do you not see what is happening to them? They're sucked into a world that they can't return from," Lexa stated in a harsh and furious tone, nudging her dark head at Raven and Abby angrily. "I won't have the same happen to you."

Clarke Griffin swallowed at the words coming from Lexa's mouth, well aware that all she was attempting to do was protect her, because she loved her, and she was at a loss for more words. She just knew that she had to do this, and that feeling grew stronger every second, especially when her hazy gaze fell upon a tiny object in Jasper's hands, over her wife's shoulder, that Clarke suspected to be one of those famous keys. She hadn't seen him dig the chip up from wherever he had kept it hidden, nor did she know why he had one and hadn't taken it. She knew Jasper to be the kind of guy who would be interested to try new things, the City of Light included in light of his loss.

A crease came upon her forehead when curiousness hit her, rather than fear. After all, she had never seen one of those keys and wouldn't be too opposed to having a good long look at the strange object up close. Extending one of her hands then, Clarke made a head nudge at Jasper for him to approach and hand it to her. She chose to temporarily ignore the angry look in Lexa's eyes as the tall and lanky boy quietly, slowly, closed the distance between them and placed the object in her hand. Pulling her hand closer to her and observing the small object that lay coolly in her warm hand palm, she noted the blue-ish infinity sign set in the silvery hexagon shape. Pushing it up with her thumb into her fingers and turning it over in her hand, Clarke confirmed that the back side was exactly the same. She regarded the soft shape for a few more seconds, silence overtaking the room, until the Commander's voice brought her back.

Lexa felt the air catch in her throat as her green eyes fell upon the object within Clarke's fingers, and images of her Ascension Day filled her head, of how the Flamekeeper had then performed the ritual upon her during which an object entirely similar, yet not, had been brought into the back of her neck, to connect her to the former Commanders and prepare Leksa Kom Trikru for her own Commandership. As her eyes locked onto it, though, the burning in her body seemed to be centered entirely in the back of her neck, as if the object inside her was, somehow, connecting with the one in Clarke's hand, or... fighting it. The chip one in Clarke's hand had a vile air about it, though, like an evil twin. The Flame that had gotten attached to her brain stem when she became the Commander hadn't reduced her to what Raven and Abby had become; she was in charge as that part of her connected her with the previous Commanders and brought her wisdom regarding the decisions she made, as her people's leader. In their case, it seemed that that part had overtaken them entirely, dominating them, seemingly making their decisions for them even. "This is vile, Clarke," Lexa spoke. She couldn't exactly explain the way she felt, but it was imperative that she shared this with Clarke. Her voice had not become softer.

Holding the Commander's gaze, Clarke could see the sincerity within. She trusted Lexa when she said that the object in her hand, the 'key', was vile, especially when she regarded what it had done to Raven and her mom. Nonetheless, she was certain that joining them in the City of Light was the only way to get them back. Swallowing, she looked back at the light chip in her hand and then at her wife again. She didn't know what or why. She didn't have a plan, she just knew she had to. "This is the only way, Lexa. I can't get them back from the City of Light, but if there is anyone who can ever get me back from there, it is you," she said. "I need you to just have my back right now."

A deep sigh from the Commander was an indication that she knew there was no way Clarke would back down on the plan she had in mind, and she had to admit that she couldn't come up with a better solution herself either. Deep green eyes saw the determination in blue ones. The searing burn from whatever it was that had affected several of the Sky People now burned a little stronger somehow as she made her decision, but she fought it. She needed to be strong. "Be safe," were the words that fell from Lexa's lips, earning her a small, but meaningful, smile from Clarke.

"Clarke, seriously…"

Ignoring Octavia, Clarke eyed her wife's expression, traced her beautiful features once more with her gaze before she took a step closer, diminishing the distance between them, the one hand that had been within the Commander's gently coming free and touching the brunette's cheek as she leaned in to touch her lips to Lexa's, eyes falling shut naturally while their mouths moved against each other intimately, disregarding the open-mouthed expression of Jasper and the rather uncomfortable glare of Bellamy.

As Clarke's lips touched hers and they engaged into their kiss, it felt as if the burning sensation that was still mostly centered right there, in the back of her neck, became less intense, less strong, less powerful.

By the time their kiss naturally ended, both of them very well aware that they couldn't continue now, that they would have to later, the Commander felt less afraid of what Clarke was about to do, more convinced that there was truth in the blonde's words. She knew, especially from her own experiences as a leader and the knowledge that being such was not at all easy, that Clarke had to do this for her people. After all, if it wasn't for the decisions she made, she wouldn't have been Clarke, and she wouldn't have loved her the way she did. She remembered the words her new wife had spoken to the Ambassadors when they announced their highly-disfavored marriage, regarding Lexa's leadership choices. If she truly wanted for Clarke to step back when she had to put her people first, it was not fair not to allow her the same sort of courtesy for hers. She had to believe in Clarke's leadership skills, the way she wanted Clarke to believe her as well, if it came to hers again. Lexa's eyes roved over the blonde one more time before she nodded. She would find her anywhere, no matter what it took or where she was.

Clarke nodded back once, curtly, the way Lexa did. She didn't look up at anyone else anymore, didn't wait for anyone to agree to disagree or give their opinion on it. It wasn't like anyone had thought that she would listen anyway. As she lifted the small chip to her mouth, Clarke's gaze flashed to Raven/ALIE and the sickening smile upon her lips that still showed, despite the piece of fabric tied before her mouth, meant to shut her up. Clarke Griffin waited all of four seconds before she closed her eyes and slipped the chip into her mouth.

The first that struck her when her surroundings finally stopped spinning and shaking was the cool wind that blew across her face, picking up some loose strands of hair over her shoulders only to play with them for a few seconds before letting up and repeating. For a long moment, she seemed uncertain if her eyes were open or closed, until a figure in a red dress appeared in the brightness. She had never seen her before, Clarke knew, but she still felt like she knew her, and she thought of Raven, and the pieces fell together and she recognized the features that she had seen in Raven but weren't strictly Raven in the figure before her. This was the person, the AI, that had overtaken──

Clarke Griffin's mind blanked, and not only did she lose her train of thought, in that moment she forgot she had been thinking at all. The woman in the red dress smiled wide as she stepped closer, and as she did, Clarke's gaze followed long waves of shiny ebony hair partially pinned up before she looked back up and studied ALIE's face: high cheekbones, elongated jaw-line, dark eyes, lush lips and super-straight white teeth made up the slender, femininely-shaped woman's countenance. Her voice was regal and very clear, like the _ting_ of a silver knife tip against a crystal glass. "There's no pain in this City of Light. I'm ALIE," she spoke.

Clarke Griffin immediately meant to open her mouth and ask 'ALIE' who she was exactly and how she had ended up in this City of Light she was in when she felt a tingle upon her hand palm and fingers that caught her off guard for a second. Instinctively, the blue-eyed blonde looked down at where she had felt the very familiar but unknown touch. She failed to notice how ALIE's soft and welcoming smile became evil as she watched Clarke Griffin, however briefly, disappear from her world to return to the world she was desperately attempting to take the leader of the Skaikru from and take all control of herself. These brief, seemingly meaningless, seconds were not at all meaningless, as they slowed the process of the AI sinking into her brain stem and latching on to completely overtake the one person who could stop her if she put all the pieces together. She had all of the pieces already, so time had never been more of the essence then.

As soon as the chip, by lack of a better word, had dissolved, onto the blonde's tongue, Clarke's body had gone limp and she had sunken down to the floor, unconscious, Lexa sinking down on her knees beside her. She was not ready to watch her wife succumb to the AI when she was forced to. When she became Commander, Titus, the Flamekeeper, had explained that what he was transferring into her brain stem was an Artificial Intelligence system brought from the sky by the first Commander when she came to save the first Grounders, to observe as well as learn from the leaders and pass on their knowledge to the next one in order to achieve what she had apparently called the greater good. The knowledge had been passed on from Flamekeeper to Flamekeeper and Commander to Commander. Lexa had never truly thought about it, that there was an Artificial Intelligence system within her, for none of the things Titus had told her on her Ascension Day played a conscious part in the Commander's daily life, but right then, she felt like she had so many questions that she realized she didn't have answers on. Were there more? Were they the same then? Lexa's mind reeled. Titus, did he have the answers she felt she was lacking?

The Commander briefly diverted her gaze from Clarke's face, raised it to look up at the people in the room with them, none of them really seeming to know what to do now. Only Octavia met her gaze, and she made to move Clarke's other side, Lexa's eyes following her where she pushed past her brother and her friends, no word from the mouthy Blake boy or the others. A small nod in the dark-haired girl's direction provided Octavia with a thanks, and she returned it in the same subtle manner before she looked away and began to gently tap the back of her fingers against Clarke's cheek to try and get her to wake up. Lexa, then, covered the blonde's hand with hers and slid her fingers through Clarke's, the cuts on their palms from the night before, from the marriage ritual that had been performed only one night previously, touching delicately. The two partners were never to cover the wounds, were never to force the healing process, but had to let the thin cuts heal on their own instead, or so the Grounder rules prescribed. It still bled tiny amounts of dark blood at the very edges, and the black inky liquid stained Clarke's hand. Lexa felt the instinctive need to pull back when she noticed this, to not stain Clarke's pristinely white skin even more, but she wasn't willing to give up the physical connection she had with Clarke as she was far away emotionally, where Lexa couldn't get to her.

Eyes opening, Clarke wasn't even aware of the fact that she had, apparently, closed them. She came to in a room much darker than she was just in, and dark and light spots blinked before her blue eyes as a result. She knew that she was surrounded by several people but couldn't discern them. The only figure that she could discern was that of the woman who had just introduced herself in the lighter place, the City of Light, as ALIE. Clarke could tell that the smile upon her feminine face was forced somehow.

"It is okay, Clarke. Go back to the City of Light," she spoke in the same monotone voice she had used earlier.

Clarke caught a flash of chained wrists and the light bouncing off of the edge of a blade before her eyes rolled back in their sockets.

She had gone back to the same place as where she had been before. She just knew that was where she was even though she could see tall buildings this time in the faraway distance. She felt slightly startled when ALIE seemed to appear from nowhere. This time, she wasn't doing any effort at all to try and smile anymore. "You have to stay in the City of Light, Clarke," she said, as she tilted her head in a familiar way that Clarke couldn't place.

She blinked, and Clarke whipped her head to the left, just in time ── or just not in time; it depended on how you interpreted it ── to see the familiar figure of a person she knew incredibly well disappear. "Mom?" she called. For one moment, when she heard no answer or didn't see the figure reappear, she thought that it had been a mind trick, and she whipped her head back at the woman who hadn't disappeared, whose lips had curled up in a wider smile than she had ever seen in what Clarke saw as triumph... but triumph at what exactly?

"She's with you in the City of Light," ALIE beamed in a clear and soft, happy voice. Clarke could tell the woman in the red dress before her was thrilled by what she had just seen. "She's going through the same process. Your mother's is just taking a lot longer than it should, so if you just hold on, you can help her see it is okay and── IGNORE THAT!" she suddenly barked when she saw the girl's hand twitch like it had earlier and saw Clarke look down at her hand, curling her fingers against her palm experimentally and back.

Clarke, looking back up at ALIE in alarm, saw the rage that was in her face, and a despair she couldn't place. The blonde wasn't likely to listen, though. Clarke's curiousness had only doubled from the moment ALIE had ordered not to pay attention to the touch she hadn't even been sure she had felt until then, especially since the woman in the red dress seemed so adamant. Instead, she cast her eyes back down at her hand as the tingle she had felt seemed to increase in strength if only for one brief second. It was when she looked down that she saw the flap of her pants' side pocket folded halfway back. She felt a strange and unimaginably need to reach for it that she couldn't deny, ignoring the woman before her despite the fact that ALIE stood only inches away from her now. She didn't hear any of her words as she ran a finger along the rim of her pants pocket and touched upon a softness that she couldn't place. Curious, Clarke slid her hand into her pocket and felt what was unmistakably a lock of soft hair touch her fingertips.

Clarke Griffin was confused, incredibly confused, as to why she would have a lock of hair in her pants pocket, and her brain was racing in an uncontrollable way, in a certain way that she couldn't control. Then "Lexa..." fell from her lips, unbidden, and Clarke startled a bit at her own voice and the name that had just fallen from her mouth, but then the girl's strong mind chose to respond, to the unspoken question, and memories sprang into it, of a young but incredibly powerful woman toying with a silvery knife between lithe feminine fingers, of that same beautiful woman mercilessly turning her back on her and her people, war paint and blood upon her face... Lexa.

Clarke's head shot up, and the lightness Clarke Griffin was surrounded with suddenly turned into deep darkness, and she saw a flash of the woman in the red dress, mouth open in a soundless scream that was quickly swallowed whole before she herself seemed to be. Darkness began to consume absolutely everything, including ALIE, and the AI's breaths began to hitch... A white-hot burning sensation began at the back of her neck and weaved across her entire body, threatening to make her succumb by pain, in the City of Light.

Lexa's green eyes slid across Clarke's face, and the evince of pain within her expression, which could make Lexa's heart break, looking down when she felt Clarke force their entwined hands down to rest over the half-open pants pocket in which she had kept the lock of Lexa's hair that the Commander had sliced off for her earlier, to keep with her everywhere. That is when the question hit her if maybe she had kept it with her still wherever she was now.

 _The City of Light... The City of Light..._

The term kept running through Lexa's mind. It was not the first time that she had heard it, but she wished she could remember where she had heard 'The City of Light' before. The Commander was shaken from her thoughts when she felt stickiness against her palm, and she looked down to see red seeping from between their entwined fingers, mixed with the color of a dark starry night, and she assumed the forced action of their clasped-together hands had pulled at the scab on Clarke's hand as well, making it bleed once more. As her eyes focused upon the mingled blood running down their entwined hands, much like it had the day before as they pledged their lives to each other, a memory hit her of when Titus had spoken to her about the A.I.

 _Soncha Kapa._

Lexa's memory of Titus talking to her about the City of Light filled the Commander's mind in a rush. The City of Light was a dream world built by the Artificial Intelligence before the one that was handed down from Commander to Commander, the saying went. The first Commander had been confronted with the first AI and had tried hopelessly to destroy the chip... but had only managed to rein it in. If the day came that any of the next Commanders was confronted with the City of Light again, it would come down to a confrontation between the AI's until one destroyed the other, according to the old saying from her Flamekeeper's mouth. It seemed that that saying hadn't been too crazy after all.

Her green eyes glanced over her wife's features, and Lexa's hand came up to rest over the back of her neck, ignoring the strange look from Octavia and probably a few others she couldn't bother to look for right now. As she felt the blood running down from the cuts upon their squeezed-together palms, running faster and more profusely, Lexa watched Clarke's eyelids flutter, eyeballs racing back and forth, from the left to the right as if she was in R.E.M. sleep, and then it hit Lexa that they had what ALIE didn't: love, and love was not at all weakness.

Clarke's gasp resounded in the otherwise quiet space in the medical bay, and Octavia and Lexa moved as one to place a hand on one shoulder each and push her back when she tried to sit up, seemingly incapable of catching her breaths despite gulping rather desperately for air. She felt as if she had run a mile, and even if she hadn't run, she _had_ come from miles and miles away, physically or not.

Lexa couldn't help the smile of relief that formed on her lips as Clarke's eyes met hers. The strong Commander bowed her head down to touch her lips to Clarke's forehead lovingly. " _Ai hod yu in, Klark kom Skaikru_ ," she whispered when she pulled away before she rested her forehead against Clarke's. " _Osir gonplei nou ste odon nowe._ You've done it."

When Clarke tried to push herself up next, no one ── not even Lexa or Octavia ── stopped her attempts to do so. As soon as she had managed to sit up straight entirely, she wavered for all of two seconds, then composed herself once more. When she felt like she could do so without losing her balance, Clarke held her wife's gaze for a long moment before finally looking to the side, only to find Raven partially slumped against the metal frames against which she had been restrained, her eyes half-open, in them what looked like fear and confusion at once; it was really Raven now and not ALIE. Clarke's gaze flashed up at Bellamy then, who sprung to action. When he crouched down by the dark-haired girl, Jasper and Monty followed his example and reached to help untie her. The blonde's gaze travelled to her other side then, and the bed upon which her mother lay.

Abby's eyes were half-open, much like Raven's, and although Clarke couldn't meet her mother's eyes directly from where she sat, Clarke knew she had returned back to herself as Raven had. A brief glance up to Marcus Kane earned the blonde a nod that immediately confirmed her suspicions. It was truly over. As Clarke met Lexa's gaze with her own once more, she voiced that thought to her. "It is over," she said. "The City of Light is gone. ALIE is gone."

Lexa, who had to smile lightly as well as pride filled her, nodded her head at that. There wasn't any weakness that she could see in Clarke Griffin of the Sky People. "It is," Lexa spoke.

Relief flooded Clarke's body, as the Commander confirmed that they had somehow managed to do it. She had known that if there was anyone at all who could pull her back from the City of Light, it would be Lexa. In that moment, she was even more certain that the tall, beautiful woman, whose hand she had still clamped tightly in her own, was meant for her, and a smile came upon her lips unbidden, too, mirroring Lexa's. "We've done it," she said.

"We have," Lexa confirmed once more, and as she thought she saw movement, the Commander looked over her shoulder and noticed one of her most trustworthy guards sink to her knees, her head bowed in respect for the two of them much in the same manner as she had the day before, when Lexa and Clarke vowed to love and protect each other until the end of their shared lives.

Clarke, too, caught the gesture of respect from Indra across the room then, and she felt surprise mostly as Sinclair followed her example, as well as Raven, forcing both Jasper and Monty ── who had just managed to free her entirely ── down with her. Bellamy was the last one still on his feet, and Clarke watched as he slowly ran his eyes across her own and Lexa's entwined hands, a muscle in his jaw bulging and pulling. It was Octavia's glare that in the end forced him to his knees in a gesture of respect for Clarke and Lexa. Clarke didn't doubt that a lot more than just a glare had passed between brother and sister at that moment.

As she blinked back an uncontrollable wave of tears, feeling incredibly overwhelmed, she dropped her head. When her eyes fell upon their entwined hands once again, it fully hit Clarke then, remembering the feeling upon her fingers as she was in the City of Light, remembering Lexa in the haze of emptiness inside her head, that it had been their strong bond, their union and their incredible requited love that had managed to overpower ALIE. The love shared between them both had only made them stronger rather than weaker.

All she could do was sink in Lexa's embrace, her head resting upon the Commander's upper body, listening to her strong beating heart. A soft sigh came from her as she felt Lexa embrace her, as tightly as Clarke held onto her. Their union hadn't only garnered all of the Grounders' respect, but that of the Sky People as well, it seemed, and whatever was going to happen from now on, she knew that Lexa and she could pull through anything together.

* * *

Author's Note: I've managed to rewrite the entire plot for The 100, it seems. I swear that was not my intention when I began to write this, but when I sat down at my desk to write this specific chapter, I 'slipped' and created what it is, and I was actually happy with it... so I left it the way it is.

Please review. I'm on Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr as well, by the way ── feel free to hop on and have a look and follow me; I'm BrokePerception on all three!


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